


Scarred angels and beautiful monsters

by Kotomori



Series: Of scarred angels and beautiful monsters [3]
Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alive L (Death Note), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon Divergence - Episode 25: Silence, Death, Demon Deals, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual L/Yagami Light, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Gen, Good Parent Yagami Souichirou, Good Yagami Light, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Justice will prevail no matter what., L Lawliet needs a hug, M/M, Matsuda Touta Is An Idiot, Matsuda is a good friend, Minor Amane Misa/Rem, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possession, Post-Yotsuba Arc (Death Note), Protective Rem (Death Note), Protective Ryuk (Death Note), Sad, Sequel, Shinigami, Shinigami Eyes, Shinigami Yagami Light, Telekinesis, Telekinetic Yagami Light, What the hell was Death Note 2017?, Yagami Light is Kira, Yagami Light needs a hug, Yotsuba Arc (Death Note), in his own way, shinigami kira
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 50,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25475347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kotomori/pseuds/Kotomori
Summary: As L runs low on time to put his plan into action with the Shinigami watching his every move, Light finds himself trapped in his own body after regaining his memories of the notebook of death. Under the possession of a mass murderer who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal of becoming the God of the new world, Light must find a way to save those he loves before Kira takes them too. Unwilling to break another promise, L has his own ends to achieve in order to stop the murders. But how far is he willing to go in order to save Light?
Relationships: Kira & Yagami Light, L & Yagami Light, L/Yagami Light, Matsuda Touta & Yagami Light, Ryuk & Yagami Light, Yagami Light & Yagami Souichirou
Series: Of scarred angels and beautiful monsters [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545313
Comments: 78
Kudos: 178





	1. A monster in a stolen body

**Author's Note:**

> Hey :) I'm baaack! And I still suck at summaries! So this is part 3 of my Death Note series, as promised to those who commented on my last part titled 'A letter from a God of death' I'm so sorry this sequel took so long to post but I needed to take a break from my Marvel fics for a while and I honestly needed to take a break from everything. With me being called back into work so suddenly, i was quickly pulled out of the whole lockdown lifestyle and its really run me down to a point where I am just tired all the time now. But during lockdown I rewatched this entire masterpiece of a series and i decided to start this long ass fic. This will be longer than the first two parts which were one shots. This is a whole ass story comin your way :) as ive said previously about the characters of Light and Kira, I view them separately. I see them as more like a Frisk and Chara from undertale kind of thing for this series and wanted to explore the innocent Light and Kira as two separate characters. I found the idea too intriguing not to explore. Anyhow, here is the first chapter and I hope you enjoy <3

_Looks like we've finally made it, huh, partner? We're so close to the end now._

The maniacal laughter of his other half rang in the young Yagami's ears. The sound of his own voice speaking those words in hs head made him cringe. He was right. L was right. L had been right all along. The missing pieces of his mind fit together like the world's most complicated puzzle.

Light stared out into the rain where the detective stood looking up at the darkened sky. He wanted to call out to his friend, if he could even call him that now. The idiot would catch a cold if he stayed out there in this weather dressed like that. His concern no longer mattered. He wasn't strong enough to call out to him. He wasn't the one in control anymore.

He still remembered the moment he retrieved his memory after touching the notebook of death. The flood of memories that swarmed his brain was overwhelming to the point he thought he would have a heart attack. He felt like he was dying. By the time it stopped, realisation dawned on him. Never in his entire life had he wished to be wrong more than he had ever since the moment he was confined. But he knew when he was right, so he wasn't sure why he felt so sick in his stomach.

He was Kira.

Demented laughter sang in his mind sparking a horrible pain in the back of his head. 

_I've won._

Light couldn't stop the crooked smile that crossed his face. Panic shot through his spine as he found he wasn't in control of his own body. 

_Exactly as planned._

Light leaned forward in his seat in an attempt to catch his breath, his eyes widening in horror at the twisted sound of his own voice. 

_Did you miss me, partner?_

Light failed to hold in a gasp.

_Kira?_

The other voice in his head chuckled.

_Well thank God for that. For a moment there I thought you were about to faint. Or have a heart attack._

The boy only shuddered at the killer's sickened sense of humour. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at L as the detective gave the order for Mogi to escort Higuchi to the car. Then his eyes wandered over to the apprehended killer. Light could feel bile in his throat as Aizawa placed Higuchi in handcuffs and began to lead him away. Guilt. He felt guilty. He was guilty. It all fit together: the nightmares, the missing memories, the self doubt. 

Light's gaze turned back to looking at L, who despite the fact he was screaming bloody murder moments before, wasn't paying him any attention. 

_L..._

_What have I done?_

The urge to admit to everything had never been more strong as the guilt stirred within his belly. He could still hear them, the screams and cries of every criminal as they died in agony. He could still see the looks of shock and horror on the faces of the innocent lives he had taken in order to save his own. He remembered them all, Raye Pember, Niomi Misora, the FBI agents who weren't even investigating him. He killed them. 

_I killed them.._

_I'm a murderer..._

_No. I am Kira._

_L was right._

_L..._

The pain came back with a vengeance, making him feel like he had been hit in the head with a bat. He stifled a cry at the sudden agony as to avoid drawing attention to himself and cast his eyes back down to the notebook laid open in his lap.

_Don't be an idiot._

Kira was speaking to him. How was this even possible?

_If you confess to L now, then it's all over for us. I've come too far to turn back or give up now! I've waited too long to take back control for you to ruin this for me! Besides, partner, we live in the same body. Can you imagine what the task force would think of you if you told them the truth?_

The teen's eyes widened in alarm once again as he found his hand reaching for his watch. What was he doing? Why couldn't he stop himself? Why couldn't he move?! He tried to respond to the voice in his head.

_How is this possible? How are you here?!_

The laughter was back again.

_I was wondering when you were going to ask that. Honestly, I don't know how this happened either. I had hoped that once you touched the Death Note again, you would simply disappear like I did. But since that doesn't appear to be the case, it looks like you and I are stuck together._

Light didn't understand what was going on. Was Kira implying that they were two separate personalities now? And that they were both sharing his body? But, that couldn't be! No. It was impossible! There was no reasonable explanation for this! His heart skipped a beat when the watch opened up to reveal a scrap of paper hidden inside. A piece of the Death Note. He retrieved the needle that had been hidden with it.

_Don't you understand yet, idiot? I'm still here because I was always here. Before you even picked up the notebook, I was here. You've always wanted to change the world. You said it yourself, this world is rotten. With the Death note you were given a duty, a chance to rid the world of evil. A chance to create a new world built on justice and peace. When I decided to give up the Death Note to clear my name, I did it solely with the intention of retrieving it again eventually. Though it seems like the weaker side of you created a whole new side to your personality, one that fails to see that what we are doing is for the greater good._

Staring down at the numerous names written on the opened pages of the notebook, Light felt his anger flare, causing his grip around the needle to tighten painfully as the point stabbed into his flesh drawing blood instantly. 

_What, by killing all these people you think we are doing the world a favour?! The world may not be perfect, it doesn't take a genius to figure that out. And sometimes I have thought that there were some people that the world would be better off without. But still, that isn't for us to decide that they would be better off dead!_

There was a long silence that stretched out in his mind and for a moment, Light was beginning to think he may have won and succeeded in expelling the second voice from his head. His grip on the needle loosened for a fraction of a second.

He felt his skin crawl when he heard Kira speak again.

_You still don't get it. This was a mission that was entrusted to you. This was our purpose from the beginning, ever since we found the notebook. If we are to become the God of the new world, we can't afford to keep getting stuck behind obstacles. Once we kill L, everything will be so much easier. You can finally take your place up at the top and strike down all those who oppose Kira and those who cause harm to others. Soon, the whole world will see Kira as their saviour and they will all be able to live a life of happiness._

No longer able to mask his horror at how unbelievably arrogant and psychotic he sounded, Light turned his head towards the window of the helicopter to hide his face. He couldn't risk Ryuzaki seeing him like this. He needed to calm down before the detective grew suspicious.

_What are you waiting for, huh? Once you write down Higuchi's name then the Death Note is yours once again. Join me, partner. Together as two souls in one body, we would be unstoppable. L will die, then once he is out of the way then I'll have no need to keep the task force around either. Nothing will ever be able to stand in our way. Come on, let's finish what we started, then we can begin our reign as the God of the new world!_

Light's eyes followed Higuchi as Mogi placed a blindfold over his eyes while Aizawa lead him by his shackled hands towards the police car. The blood stained needle made contact with the paper but suddenly froze. Light managed to stop himself. His anger rose, as did his disgust.

_You're right about one thing, I'll tell you that. Maybe the law isn't perfect. Everyday, dangerous people manage to get away with crimes that they deserved to be punished for. But that isn't all down to the police. Despite their flaws, people of the law make a never ending effort to do good and to bring justice upon those who deserve it. To take matters into your own hands is selfish. No matter how rotten the world may be, killing criminals is never the answer. I'm no God, Kira. I'm just a murderer._

The silence ensued again with Light remaining frozen in place as his mind continued to battle with itself. He could feel his control returning to him. He was regaining his strength. He could stop all of this! He didn't have to he Kira. He didn't want to be Kira!

_You won't touch the task force. You won't hurt Misa. You won't hurt my family just to get to me. And I will never let you hurt L. You may be a part of me, but I don't belong to you. Once we arrest Higuchi, I'm going to tell L everything and if he sees fit to punish me for my crimes despite not remembering them, then that's fine by me. Because I would rather die than live on as a murderer._

The silence resumed for a beat before searing pain shot through his head like a brand. It took every ounce of willpower within his body not to scream. 

His pain was only disturbed by the crazed voice whispering in his ear. 

_How foolish of you...to think you were ever the one in control._

Before he even came to his senses, Light was able to make out the crimson bloodied characters scratched into the piece of the Death Note that spelled out Higuchi's name. 

Kira continued to taunt him as his pain resumed and his laughter echoed in his ears as the third Kira seized up within the police's grasp, his face pinched in an expression of pure agony marking the beginning of a heart attack. 

_I intend to create a new world, with or without you. And since your determination and strength are inconsequential to my own, it appears I won't be needing you after all._

Light's head was spinning while he was aware that his voice was shouting in feigned confusion as Higuchi collapsed to the ground. He felt like he was fading away, like he was bound from head to toe completely unable to move or speak in his own body. He became overwhelmed with grief as he came to realise a horrible truth. He had lost. 

And L would be next.

...............

L allowed Light to pull him by his sleeve, leading them both back indoors. The floor became marked with their wet footprints as L walked slowly behind the younger man, keeping his head down unable to even look at him.

Light was practically dragging the detective all the way back to what used to be their floor in task force headquarters. Behind them they left a trail as the raindrops fell from their clothes and hair, landing with a splash on the marble floor. The older man kept his eyes fixed on the floor, simply letting Light pull him along. When they came to a sudden stop, L almost tripped over his own feet. Finally glancing up when he felt Light let go of him he saw the younger was holding out a towel to him. It was strange how such a simple offer could make his usually overcrowded mind go completely blank. 

When L remained merely staring at the towel that had been offered to him, Light rolled his eyes with a smile of what L would've called fondness if it didn't look so forced now. 

"Come here, genius, before you get sick." The sound of the young Yagami's voice laced with warmth made the detective hum in curiosity before he found the towel placed over his head. The detective balked in confusion at the sudden advance before quickly pulling the towel away from his eyes to see Light snickering at him before turning to sit on the stairs and starting to dry himself off.

The older of the two had grown accustomed to the younger's dry sense of humour and had been attached to him long enough that he had been fortunate enough to have seen a more playful side to him. Light being in a good mood while they were handcuffed together also put L in a reasonably good mood as he didn't have to worry about the other complaining about his unorthodox habits and lifestyle. L was aware he could be less than considerate when it came to Light's wants and needs, but somehow seeing the boy in higher spirits when he actually tried to be a better friend made him feel like it was worthwhile rather than a hindrance to the case. 

Though seeing Light act so happy now could only mean one thing: he was about to make his move. He knew he had won. It was checkmate. 

His time was almost up.

As the detective observed Light drying himself off he found himself wanting to say something. If he could somehow reach out to Light, if he was still in there somewhere, he may not have to go through with his plan after all. 

"Well that was certainly an unpleasant outing." L remarked as he came to stand behind Light with his towel still placed over his head. 

He heard Light's resounding chuckle, "It's your own fault. I mean what did you expect?"

L's eyes bore in to the back of the younger's head, "You're right. Sorry." He added quickly, at least trying to sound guilty. 

As Light remained quiet, L continued to watch him before an idea came to his head making him hum in contemplation. Removing the towel from over his head, he approached Light from behind. L came to a crouch on the step below where the other's feet were resting. 

He waited for Light's inevitable protests when he reached for the other's foot. Surely enough, Light flinched, "What are you doing?!" 

L looked up innocently, "I thought I might help you out. You were busy wiping yourself off anyway." 

The detective bore his gaze into Light, desperately trying to decipher the emotions on the young Yagami's face. Confusion, perhaps. Curiosity was likely. He didn't appear to be showing signs of outrage or disgust. 

Light sighed, "Look, it's fine. You don't have to do that."

But L didn't repent, wanting to see whether or not the other would back down. "I can give you a massage as well. It's the least I can do to atone for my sins. I'm actually pretty good at this." 

If he wasn't to win this war, Light could grant him this small victory. Light was no more victorious than he was. His letter had said as much. Kira had defeated both of them. L remembered the last words written in the letter from his friend.

_I am Light Yagami. And I was killed by Kira._

It was his fault. All of it. 

_My sin was letting you anywhere near that notebook in the first place. By bringing you along with me, I allowed Kira to take you away from me. Please, whatever you are, please let me do this for him._

Light answered with a roll of his eyes when he saw L's eyes staring at him expectantly. Glancing away he replied, "Fine do what you want." 

His brow dipped in confusion as he watched the detective's shoulders sag with what looked like relief, "Alright."

Once again averting his eyes away from the other as he resumed his actions from earlier, Light's attention was soon called back to L as he felt something cold and wet splashing against his ankle. L's eyes remained downcast, completely hidden by his ruffled hair thus his expression was unreadable. But his hair was still dripping wet.

_Why are you helping me when you are still drenched? You're gonna freeze._

The concern that Light felt was enough that his next action was his own. He picked up the towel he had been using on himself and carefully rubbed it over the detective's forehead to catch any more of the water. 

"Here. You're still soaked." 

Light wasn't sure why he flinched as L's eyes wandered up briefly to his own. He looked so sad. Yet as always, his gaze remained searching, like he was trying to find out what Light's reaction meant. He looked so desperate. So defeated.

"I'm sorry." 

Light heard his friend repeat the words again and tried with everything he had left in him to communicate the words he didn't have the strength or control to say out loud with his caged voice.

_L, please stop apologising. You don't have to be sorry for anything. I think I know why you're apologising but it isn't your fault this happened. You found my letter, didn't you? Is that why you're so sad? Please, Ryuzaki, talk to me, tell me what's wrong._

But he wouldn't. L wouldn't say another word to Light because he knew it wouldn't be Light he was speaking the words to, and it wouldn't be Light who responded. 

Kira's resounding laughter was cold and snide.

_Look at him. Down on his knees before me. Pathetic._

A smirk of contempt crosses the young boy's face as he looked over at his other half reflecting back at him through the glass. Darkened irises glared at the window into the tear filled light brown ones that his innocent self possessed. His reflection looked terrified.

_What are you going to do?_

The glare was wiped away at the question laced with fear and was replaced with the most innocent look the monster in a stolen body could muster.

_Me? I'm not going to do anything. Rem already knows what to do in order to save Misa. It will be her job to eliminate L. Since Misa has the other notebook, she will write down the names of all the task force members and kill them too. ___

__The reflection in the window tore his gaze away, drawing his knees up to his chest. Kira's smirk was chased away by a scowl._ _

_Although, I get the feeling there's more to the reason you want to spare L's life than you let on, Partner._

Light wouldn't face the killer, staring down at the same place by his feet where L wasn't sitting. The monster had to hide his menacing grin of realisation before he ended up laughing out loud right in front of the detective.

_Oh, I see how it is. Well, don't worry about it. I won't tell him your dirty little secret. It wouldn't benefit me anyways. It doesn't matter anymore. L knows he has lost, and so have you, though you are no less guilty than I am about killing all those people. You may as well enjoy this while it lasts. Once L is gone and the task force are out of the way, I will have complete control. You won't be able to erase me. You are weak. You will be haunted by your sins crawling on your back for the rest of your life until you die as nothing more than a dead shell, while I will take my place at the top as the God that everyone desires._

Light's reflection turned to look at him through the glass, seething at the demon who possessed his body with unconcealed hatred.

__Kira blinked curiously at the ensuing silence as he waited for the other to retort with the same cliche remarks from the strong hearted boy, that he wouldn't prevail, that justice would always win no matter what. His brow furrowed when no words came from Light's mouth. Instead the fury striking the teen's face had sobered into a saddness that radiated melancholy from his body. Kira felt the stolen heart twist inside his chest as a response to his prisoner's grief stricken expression._ _

__The killer stifled a gasp when he saw the first tears rolling down the beautiful teen's face before he was quickly filled with rage._ _

_Tears? I don't....understand....Why? Why are you crying for him?! He is nothing more than an obstacle preventing us from reaching our goal. He is far inferior to you or I! He is nothing! By the time we have fulfilled our destiny, you will forget he ever existed! What's the point in crying for him?!_

__"It'll be lonely, won't it?"_ _

__Both sides turned their attention back to L at the sudden sound of his soft voice laced heavily with melancholy. Kira's head tipped in confusion._ _

_Lonely?_

__Obsidian irises glanced upwards into his own._ _

__"You and I will be parting ways soon."_ _

__Every word to Light was a kick in the chest. Before either of them could say anything else, they were interrupted by the sound of L's phone ringing._ _

_Goodbye. It doesn't seem too long ago that we were saying 'hello'._

__The youth flinched when he saw Kira's menacing warning glare snap in his direction once L turned to answer the phone._ _

_Look how far we have come already. What do you hope to achieve by sparing him? After all we have accomplished, are you really willing to throw it all away for the sake of one person? For L?_

__"Yes? I see..... so it's done then? Hmm...I understand. I'm on my way."_ _

__L slid his phone back into the pocket of his jeans and addressed the younger man without turning to look at him._ _

__"Come on. Let's go, Light. It looks as though everything is beginning to work out, after all."_ _

__The detective began to walk away leaving Light staring after him before quickly following behind. Something was wrong. Kira's laughter attacked his ears, drowning out the screams of the numerous criminals and innocent lives he had so carelessly taken. Every step he took to catch up to his distancing friend made him feel like he was one step closer to facing death. The feeling of dread clawed it's way up the back of his throat as the unhinged laughter only grew in volume until it was practically echoing in his ears. He felt like a ticking time bomb, like he was walking into fire._ _

__The possessed youth could only watch without saying a word as L continued to walk ahead of him, getting closer and closer to headquarters. Kira had already called checkmate, he was about to make his final move in their game. He had to stop this! He couldn't win over them! If only he could speak from his own goddamn mouth! If the handcuffs were still on he would be doing everything in his power to pull L back to him and never let him go._ _

_Time is running out for us, L. If you have a plan, the time is now! Please, L if you know what I am then stop me! Stop me before it's too late! You promised me you would stop me by whatever means necessary! If you die, Kira wins! Don't you see?_

__However, Light remained completely powerless while Kira payed his pleas no mind as he continued to roar with laughter._ _

_All of you should run! Please, L. Stop me! Arrest me! Hurt me! Kill me! Please, don't let this be it for us._

__Light stared at the detective's back._ _

_I don't want to have to say goodbye to you._


	2. A perfect stranger's eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is hard to sort out,  
> Among the secrets and the lies.  
> Familiar faces watch you,  
> But with a perfect stranger's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup! So I was originally gonna post this tomorrow after finally getting some sleep, but ya know what? Sleep deprivation makes ya crazy! Literally I haven't slept in over forty hours. But I just really wanted to post it because after rewriting this chapter so many times I was finally happy with it and wanted to share it :) i so wanted to reread it and make sure I covered everything in this plan. There are elements of both the live action movies (the Japanese movies, not that Netflix shit! Get outta here!) And the 2015 drama but know that this story takes place in the anime for future reference. Also this chapter turned out to be way longer than I expected it to be but if there is anything I didn't explain, then dont worry I haven't missed it, it will be covered in the next chapter XD
> 
> Also thank you to everyone who responded to chapter one of this story, honestly you guys made my day with your comments and it only made me more motivated to get this chapter up quicker <3 Those of you who have been reading this since part 1 with 'Arent we just terrified' thank you so much for the support, you guys are awesome. It's good to know that I have this to look forward to outside of quarantine life and work :) anyhow, i shall stop rambling (until the end notes) and get on with the story. Hope you like <3

As the two remained silent standing in the elevator, the younger stood behind L, his wide smirk covered by the back of his hand. They were so close! Just a few more seconds until they would reach headquarters. Never before had the demon found it so hard not to laugh out loud. 

_They're all gonna die! They're all gonna die!_

Light's body stepped forward so that he was side by side with the detective in preparation to get out of the elevator as he realised they were about to reach their floor. He could feel the detective's stare out of the corner of his eye. He payed the other man no mind and waited for the elevator to stop moving. 

Several seconds passed. The elevator kept moving. Despite the fact he had managed to keep calm this far, he failed to hold in a hum of confusion as they continued going down. As he turned to meet the detective's eyes, L quickly glanced away.

"Um, Ryuzaki?" 

"Hm?" L hummed in acknowledgement without looking at him. 

"Shouldn't we have already stopped by now? We've already gone past headquarters." Light observed.

"That's because we're not going back to headquarters." 

Light's brow furrowed. 

_What are you up to, L?_

"Then where are we going?" Kira tried to sound passive. 

L reached forward and pressed a button on the side of the elevator before responding, "Ground floor." 

The monster snarled in the young boy's mind. 

_What's going on here?_

Now straining to keep his voice calm, the other tried, "But won't the task force wonder where we are?" 

_How will I know if they're dead if I can't see them?!_

L waved a hand as a passive gesture, "The task force have already returned to their homes." 

Had he not been currently standing under the many surveillance cameras that had been wired onto the roof of the elevator, he was sure he would have throttled the detective there and then. His mind was numb from the lethal spark of rage he felt at the realisation L had acted behind his back. But what the hell was he plotting? The investigation was still ongoing, so what would possess him to send the task force home now?

"Why would you do that?" He asked.

"Because as of just a few minutes ago, I received confirmation from Watari that we have been approved by another country to use the notebook for an execution." 

The insouciant declaration stunned Light into silence. The killer gawped at the dark haired detective with a wide eyed look of barely masked horror. L's expression remained blank as he continued to explain. 

"Its been worked out so that once the notebook is transferred, the person who will be writing in the notebook is an inmate due to be executed in just over thirteen days. If they are still alive thirteen days after writing the name then they'll be pardoned from execution. This way we will have solid proof on whether or not the thirteen day rule is real or a fake. As for the taskforce, well my reasoning in excluding them from this is that it will most likely only resort to argument. I can't imagine your father agreeing to partake or bare witness to a task like this. Wouldn't you agree?"

Kira's rage was beginning to seep through the mask. He needed to calm down. 

_Sneaky bastard. Yet, I have to admit, it's a clever move on his part. But I can't afford to let the notebook leave the building. Damn it! Where the hell is Rem?!_

"I see your point, I suppose. Nevertheless, it still doesn't explain why we're headed to the ground floor." 

Narrowed eyes met the apathetic ones of the detective. They narrowed further with suspicion when he saw the corners of L's mouth turn up slightly. 

"Find out for yourself. We're here." 

The doors of the elevator slid open revealing the entrance to the building up ahead where Light had been when Misa came to visit beforehand. Light glanced around the room for any signs of suspicion before facing L. 

"So what exactly are we waiting for here?" Light asked.

L looked around the lobby himself with a feigned look of innocence.

"In here? Nothing. Come this way, please." 

Before he knew it, L was walking away. Pushing down his pent up irritation at the insufferable other man, Light had no choice but to follow. He couldn't let L out of his sight. Not for a second. He chased after the surprisingly fast detective as he approached a flight of stairs leading downwards into the parking garage. Light remembered being led down there before and suppressed a shudder at the memory of the day he thought he would die in the hands of his own father.

Something was wrong. 

_Come on, Rem. What are you waiting for? You know if the Death Note leaves the building and they find out the thirteen day rule is a fake, it won't take long before they start closing in on Misa. You want her to be safe so why is it taking you so damn long!? Write his name down and kill him!_

While the two of them reached the bottom of the stairs, L came to a sudden stop nearly making the other trip over his feet. Only two cars remained in the parking garage. Light recognised one as Aiber's, the other he didn't know. He caught his reflection in the windscreen of the second car. What had been tears and desperation only minutes before had settled into more of a confused interest at what L was doing. His reflection still looked hopelessly sad.

_What's wrong with you? Nothing more to say?_

Light growled at his possessor. 

_Would it make any difference? It's not like he can hear me when I can't even speak!_

Kira continued to taunt the boy with his laughter.

_Whether he can hear you or not, Rem knows she has no choice but to kill L, unless he succeeds in transporting the notebook before she has the chance, in which case she will kill us instead once Misa and I are found guilty._

Kira could feel Light's anger getting stronger. It was enough to catch him off guard.

_I can't believe you would use her like this. Why couldn't you just leave her out of it?!_

The monster chuckled at the absurdity of the question. 

_Believe me, there have been no complaints on her part. She did what was necessary in order for us to achieve our goal. I wouldn't have made it this far without her as my pawn. I'm grateful to her, she has served me well. But once Rem is gone, then Misa will no longer have the advantage over me. But don't worry, she will die knowing she had the privilege to serve the God of the New world._

The young Yagami's guise transformed from anger to crestfallen. 

"Light?" 

The sound of the detective's voice abruptly brought the other's attention away from the window. 

"Are you okay? It seems as though you zoned out for a moment." There was no trace of concern in his voice.

It was at that moment where the resolve finally broke as Kira found himself running out of patience at the sight of the vacant garage.

"What is this, Ryuzaki? Why are we waiting down here of all places?" 

L raised his thumb to his lip before responding, "We are waiting for Misa Amane."

Light's body froze. Slowly, he craned his head to face the other man, unable to hide his bewilderment.

"Misa's coming back here? Why?" 

L finally looked at Light directly, if he noticed the cracks in the other's collected facade he didn't mention it as his gaze bore into Light's narrowed eyes. The intensity of his ever searching gaze told him he seemed to be trying to look for some kind of reaction. 

"Because we have finally found proof that she is the second Kira."

If Gods of death had a heart to stop, Kira was sure he would have died then and there like another petty criminal. 

"What? What are you talking about?!" 

L ignored him, "I've sent Watari to retrieve her. They should be arriving back anytime now."

Light could feel his teeth grinding together, putting all he had into keeping up the act. He wouldn't need to hold it in for much longer.

"Are you still going on about that? Look, she has nothing to do with this! If she were the second Kira then she would already be dead by now. The thirteen day rule proves that!" 

L merely spared him a glance before his attention drifted towards the sight of a car coming down the road towards them.

"Here they are now. Right on time." 

Kira turned barely concealing his panic at the fast approaching car. How did L find out about Misa? Was it possible that he was lying? That he was trying to force him into a corner to see if he would confess? He wouldn't put it past the detective to try and pull off another scheme like this. 

"What makes you so sure that Misa is guilty?"

L bit down on his nail, "Well you see, the thirteen day rule didn't apply to Misa despite the fact she is the second Kira. This can only mean I was right in assuming there was more than one Death Note involved after we arrested Higuchi. I'm more than positive Misa has it in her possession." 

Kira growled, "If that were the case then wouldn't she have already written your name down and killed you?" 

L hummed whe keeping his eyes on the approaching car, "Not if she doesn't know it. Or better yet, she can't remember it." 

If his jaw clenched any harder, Light was sure it would've broken. His fury only escalated as the detective before him remained unconcerned.

"Chances are she will first write down the names of the taskforce members and once she sees me, she will try and write down my name as well. That will be our cue to arrest her and take the other notebook." L explained.

Light laughed nervously while shaking his head in disbelief, "This is ridiculous. We don't even know that she'll bring the notebook with her."

L rounded on Light with a gleam in his eye, "She will bring it. This will be a golden opportunity for her to kill me." 

_Rem, where are you!?_

Light squinted as the headlights of the incoming car flashed before it pulled to a stop. 

Watari stepped out of the car and walked over to them, looking as calm as the detective, barely acknowledging Light before addressing the other.

"As you requested, Ryuzaki, I have brought Miss Amane back to headquarters. As we expected, she didn't voice any concern at being called back again so suddenly. She is under the impression she was invited back to visit young Mr Yagami here. Since he is already here, that should put her mind at ease." The old man gestured to the younger. 

The raging killer cast his glare towards the back seat of the car waiting for the girl to notice him. Once Misa's eyes locked with his through the dimmed glass, her face lit up.

_Hold on, maybe I can still make this work! From the backseat, Misa can still see both Watari and Ryuzaki's real names! She can kill them herself! All she needs is my signal and she will begin writing everyone's names._

The monster flashed her a smile in return, it wouldn't be suspicious if they were in a relationship. He then nodded his head at her and something changed in both of their expressions. Misa's eyes darkened with intent while Kira felt a spark of delight at the fact she recognised what he wanted her to do. 

_Poor girl. Yet despite everything that's already happened to her, she is still so desperate to help me. It's a shame, Rem. You claim to have loved Misa enough to kill me if I ever hurt her, but I guess you didn't love her enough to trade your own life for hers after all. Who would've thought a Shinigami would be afraid of death? Well, however much you care for her, the fact she will be safe once she kills L should be enough to appease you._

"So it's done then?" L questioned causing Light to drop the smile before looking at him. 

Watari gave a nod, "Yes. We have all the proof we need. Should I fetch her from the car?"

L smirked, "Not just yet. Let's wait a moment before we make our move. We may as well be thorough in the event that this plays out differently than I planned. Besides, if she has already written our names down, then there is nothing more we can do." 

Kira sneered behind the detective's back. He couldn't say anything that didn't make him sound suspicious. He said they would apprehend Misa, so why were the two of them just standing there? But once Misa looked up at him once again, all thought erased from his mind as her smile told him everything he needed to know. She had finished writing.

_Checkmate, L._

"Misa Amane, please step out of the car!" The detective shouted knowing she could hear him.

The back door of the car opened before Watari could move to do it for her. Misa exited the car slowly. 

"Welcome back." L greeted her with faux oblivion at what she had done.

She ignored him, running and practically jumping into Light's arms. Light for once didn't resist her as he held her back so that his head was resting on her shoulder, putting his face out of view. 

"You've done well." He whispered in her ear. He felt her shiver against him. He could've kept the act up for a few seconds longer but he was too ecstatic to care. They would be dead before they had the chance to move in and arrest her. There was no escape. 

_They're all gonna die! They're all gonna die! They're all gonna die!_

"Tell me, Misa, how long has it been since you wrote the first name in the Death note?" He could feel L's eyes on him at the question.

Misa turned Light's wrist so the she could see the face of his watch.

"Thirty seconds." She declared with a devious grin. 

Kira turned to face L for the last time and as Misa continued counting down the remaining few seconds, he was no longer able to stop the wide smug grin from splitting his lips as his eyes bore into the detective's blank stare. 

_Take one last look at him, Partner. This is the last time you will see him alive!_

"Thirty-nine!"

The killer chuckled darkly.

"I win, L." 

"Forty!"  
◇◇◇

All noise within the expanse of their location ceased, even the sounds of the cars and people outside seemed to stop. 

Kira waited.

He waited for any sign of pain that marked the beginning of the end for his greatest enemy. He waited a few seconds more. L's face remained calm and smooth with no traces of pain or discomfort showing.

His watch kept on ticking. It had been more than a minute.

_Why are they still alive?!_

"If what Misa said was true, then by now it's been over a minute since you wrote the first name in the notebook." L said.

Kira gasped, now trembling with shock instead of rage.

Then he heard it. A noise so haunting the monster could've screamed. The noise echoed, attacking his mind as it grew louder and louder. Inside his head he heard the light, taunting, mocking laughter of the man who's body he possessed. Light was laughing... laughing at him.. 

How dare he..

_Why the hell are you laughing?!_

The laughter held many emotions in it's sound. It managed to sound both relieved and happy, yet downright deranged at the same time.

The loud laughs coming from his prisoner settled into soft chuckles and Kira could almost picture his own face smiling at him with disdain.

_Haven't you already figured it out?_

The killer's eyes widened in terror.  
_No...That's impossible..._

_You've lost, Kira._

"But...why?" Misa stuttered, holding the notebook up to see the names, looking no less petrified than Kira himself. "Why didn't they die?!" 

The idol dared to sneak a glance at her love and saw that he was completely frozen in shock. His body was rigid in her arms. His breath trembled like he was standing in a blizzard. But she recognised the glint that flashed through his darkened irises. Anger.

She had failed him. She had angered her God.

"But...Light...I did everything you told me to do!" 

Light's eyes flashed at Misa in disbelief and in that moment, she realised her mistake. 

"Is that right?" L asked turning both of their attention back to him. The detective then hummed before looking around at the many openings in the garage.

"Well, everyone, what do you all think?"

Before either of them realised what was going on they were suddenly surrounded by several bodies each with gear to cover their faces. One of them grabbed Misa by her waist while another pinned her arm behind her back, forcing her to drop the notebook. She screamed and clawed with her other arm to try and keep hold of her Light. Surely he wouldn't allow this! Light must have another plan to stop this!

_Light, please don't let me go!_

The man holding her arm was quick to restrain her by placing handcuffs on her wrists and forcefully dragging her away from Light. The third of the men surrounding them picked up the notebook from the floor taking it well out of her reach. 

"Mr Aizawa, the notebook please." L held out his hand while the man holding the Death Note walked over and placed it into the detective's palm. 

L opened the notebook to the last page with names written down before addressing the people in the room.

"You should all be safe now. You can uncover your faces." 

Mogi was the first to remove his helmet while using one hand to keep hold of Misa. The girl had stopped struggling and looked hopefully at Light, who was staring down at the floor with a face like he had seen a ghost.

Matsuda removed his while standing halfway between Misa and Light, glancing back and forth between them both. Aizawa and Ide came to stand on either side of Watari behind L. One by one, the four of them held out their guns, ready to fire if necessary.

L held up the open page of the notebook showing it to everyone in the room. "If the four of you didn't believe me earlier, see for yourselves. These are all of your real names as well as Chief Yagami's, correct? The face covers were merely a precaution, however I already knew it was more likely that Miss Amane already knew your names. As for Watari and myself, well the plan wouldn't have worked if we didn't show our faces. I can confirm that the last two names are the real names of both Watari and I. The only name that hasn't been written down, is Light Yagami." 

Light scowled at the detective. L couldn't help but look away from the dark eyes piercing him. 

_Give me a sign, Light. Please let me know you are still in there._

"On top of that, Misa just confessed that she did everything you asked her to." 

Then Light watched as his expression changed. His gaze dropped and his shoulders slumped. The detective had the same look of subtle sadness in his eyes that was there minutes ago when they were both sitting on the stairs. 

"Is there anything you want to say?" 

The sheer amount of desperation in L's voice was enough out of character for the detective in front of so many people that it caught Kira off guard. 

_Anything I want to say? Are you asking me to confess? You think I'll give up that easily, L?! You think I'll let you win without a goddamn fight?! I'll kill you with my own hands if I have to!_

"I should've known, L. I should've known that this would be an elaborate scheme of yours to try and expose me as Kira. I was stupid to think you would ever let that go! This is all just part of your plan to frame me!" The killer was reduced to trying whatever came to mind. 

_I won't lose! I've come too far! You think I'll spare his life for you, partner?! I'll kill them all!_

Light looked around wildly at the taskforce members who looked stunned by his sudden outburst while keeping their guns aimed at him. He tried to make his eyes plead with the people who believed in him so much before. 

"Don't you think it's strange no one died after having their names written in the notebook! This proves it's a trap!" Light's voice raised with every word.

Mogi turned to Light, "Light, there's no point in denying it. We heard everything. Just before we came in you claimed your victory expecting us all to die. How much more of a confession do we need?"

From between the two Kiras, Matsuda turned to Light with what had to he the most heartbroken expression he had ever seen. The poor man's arm trembled with what had to be disbelief before his gun fell from his hand and he fell to his knees. 

"Light...." Matsuda's voice shook, "Why?"

While unable to move or speak of his own accord, the possessed youth could still see and hear everything perfectly through his own eyes. The people who had defied L's attempts to prove his guilt, the same men who chose to believe in him despite when there was proof he was Kira, the people he had known since he was a child, were all now looking at him for what he was: a monster.

A monster, who had killed his way beyond the point of redemption. Moments ago, he was so happy that Kira's greatest enemy had so successfully foiled his plan that for a moment he forgot about what it would mean for everybody else. The fact that he was a different person from the one controlling his actions meant nothing. He had picked up the notebook. He had decided to use it. He never should've existed. He was created by Kira's will as nothing more than a tool to be used for a killer's benefit. 

He was weak. 

But everyone else would be safe now. As long as Rem didn't show up, L had nothing to worry about. He was fine knowing that his friends and family, that L would be safe before his death. 

_Don't save me, L. I'm not worth saving._

He remembered L's promise that Light forced him to make the night before Higuchi's death: If Kira takes him again, stop him by whatever means necessary. He hated putting someone he considered his friend in that position. L knew what Light was asking him to do and Light knew how hard making promises was for the great detective. But this was the way it had to be for the sake of the whole world. It was the only way the people of Earth could live as people instead of hostages. It was the only way he would ever be free. 

If he were to be executed, he would die as Kira. Light Yagami was already as good as dead. He could die happy knowing he would take Kira down to hell with him. 

Dying would be less painful than living on a puppet string.

L almost felt something akin to pity as the cracks in the murderer's act began to show so easily. He could tell he was beginning to panic.

_I won't let it come to them shooting you. But if you think I'm going to break my word to him a second time, Kira, I'll tear you from his body myself._

"No, on the contrary it was only after we gained proof that Misa was the second Kira that the taskforce agreed to partake in my plan. I already assured them that they wouldn't die because I had modified the Death Note."

_Such hate in a young man's eyes, I've only ever known one other person who matched it. You killed him too, I imagine._

"Since the killings resumed so shortly after we released Misa Amane, I suspected she may have been the one behind it. It was too much of a coincidence to simply ignore, so I had Watari keep an eye on her. We installed cameras in her room and we watched her very closely. When we had record of her writing names of criminals in the notebook, I had Watari replace the notebook she was using with a fake before she came to see you on one of her visits."

Just then Watari reached into his coat and pulled out another black notebook before passing it forward to L. 

"This notebook here is the real one."

Misa twisted in Mogi's grasp, "But all of the criminals' names I wrote, they really did die!" She exclaimed.

"Only for the first day after your release. In the days that followed we had already replaced the notebook with the fake. The names we found in the Death Note matched those of the criminals who died that day. From then on we had their names covered on the news as if Kira had really returned."

L dropped the notebook on the floor by his feet.

"Also, while I was aware that Misa wasn't meant to he the one to kill me, I must say I had never expected you to use the Shinigami. Another clever move on your part, but I suppose now is as good a time as ever to tell you that Rem will not appear. She has agreed not to show herself until Misa has forfeited the death note or she resists, in which case the notebook will be destroyed."

Light's fists clenched until his knuckles turned white from the pressure.

_When did he manage to make a deal with Rem? How did he know what I was planning?!_

L then turned his head towards another entrance to the parking garage, "However that aside, we still had no real evidence that you were Kira. And so, I had to ask for help from your father."

Light's eyes widened as they followed L's towards the darkened doorway. Footsteps began to approach and the moment his father walked in Light's breath caught in his throat.

_Dad...._

_Stop. He won't hear you._

"You see, your father was completely against my plan, as were most of the taskforce. They never once questioned their belief in you and your father refused to believe his son could be Kira. But once I told them I was willing to show my face, they recognised my determination and agreed to help me. Instead of returning to their homes like I told you, they stayed behind. They were here this whole time and they saw everything."

Between each of the task force members, every one of them save for his father was now staring him down with a hardened glare. 

"Light." 

He looked at his father.

"You.." the older Yagami's voice wavered like it was impossible to say the very fact he had so adamantly refused to believe, "You really are Kira. Aren't you?" 

Once again, Kira's stolen heart twisted out of his control. Light had hoped, naive as it may seem, that for his sake his father of all people would never have had to see this moment. 

Kira forced a smile at the chief. His father would understand. All he had to do was listen. L had said it himself that his own sense of justice matched that of Soichiro, that was what Kira admired so much about him. It was what Light had admired so much about him from the time when he was little. Of all people his own father had to understand why he was doing this!

"Dad-"

"Aren't you!" 

The sudden raise in the normally calm man's voice not only startled his son, but everyone else around them. What he said wasn't a question. He didn't want an answer. He wanted a confession. 

The chief breathed a heavy sigh, his anger cooling into a look of devastation before he looked away from his son. 

"Everything L said was true. I refused to believe that you, that my one and only son who I raised to know right from wrong could have ever turned out to be someone as evil as Kira. I was more than ashamed of myself for even thinking of going along with Ryuzaki's plan initially."

The task force all looked at their friend, chief and mentor with sympathy.

"I only agreed once I saw for myself how far he was willing to go, that he was willing to not only put our lives on the line, but his own. Nevertheless, even after I agreed to cooperate with the plan, I had never before prayed so much for L to be wrong." 

Soichiro then met his son's eyes once again, the sudden eye contact making Light flinch.

"And then I heard your conversation. I was originally supposed to be the one to take the notebook from Amane, but I found myself unable to do anything after what I had just heard." The older man looked more than a little ashamed. 

"Light, you really are Kira."

Light had never wanted to die more than anything in his life in that moment. The moment his own father, his own family, saw him for the monster he was. 

_I'm so sorry, dad. And I'm even more sorry that you will never hear me say it._

"Do you remember that day where I drove you and Amane out into the middle of nowhere and I told you I would be the one to kill you?"

As his son seemed to remember, Soichiro began to walk towards him. He stopped inches away from Light looking down at the lack of emotion his son conveyed.

"That day, I was prepared to die myself. Because whether you turned out to be Kira or not, I would never have been able to bring myself to kill my own child. I was happy to die with that knowledge rather than live with the pain of seeing my son be executed. As your father, if Kira turned out to be you then it would've been my responsibility. To know that I was the one who failed you so badly, would've been too great a pain to live with."

Kira's face turned surprised when Light's father placed his hand on his shoulder.

"And yet, both you and I both came out of that ordeal alive after I had already accepted my death. So that moves us to my current question, Light. Which version of my son am I speaking to right now?" 

Light heard the first of the short quiet chuckles of malice in his ears. 

"During the time of your confinement, I saw a side of you that was truly in your element. As you worked alongside Ryuzaki, even while handcuffed together, I couldn't remember the last time I had seen you so happy."

Then the older Yagami's gaze wandered over to the notebook by L's feet.

"Why did you start using that thing?"

His son only remained silent in response. Then the chief smiled with sad eyes as he looked back on the memories of his son over the last few months. His smiles, his laughter, they couldn't have been anything less than real.

"I refuse to believe that even after everything I have already seen and heard, that the side of you who was earnest and upheld his morals above all else was just a figment of my imagination! The boy I raised was honor bound to his family, with his most important duty being to serve as an example for his sister and to take care of his mother. That boy is not the killer I see. So I'll ask again, am I speaking to my son?"

_I am always going to be your son, dad. In the end, I'm just sorry I wasn't one you could be proud of. I tried. I tried so hard. But I'm not strong like you._

"Who else would you be speaking to, Dad?" Kira's voice answered for him. The killer's amusement seemed to only grow with every word.

"Kira."

His father's reply was instant. 

Silence ensued with the only noise coming from cars passing by the building from above. The four members of the taskforce were each glaring at the unmasked killer while Misa wisely kept her head down. L had been listening to every word all while keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Light's waiting for a sign of anything he could grab onto. This was the moment he had been counting on.

_Stay with us, Light. This isn't over yet. As long as I have faith you are alive, I will not break my promise. If you lose to Kira then so will I. And you know how I feel about losing._

The whirring sounds of the cars passing by was interrupted as all eyes turned onto Light when the boy began chuckling. His eyes were closed, mouth pressed shut like he was trying to hold it in and failing. Every look in the room quickly turned from suspicious wonderment to disturbed as the barely stifled laughter began to get louder. Even the chief backed away from his son at the disturbing display. 

Then Kira threw his head back and laughed. He laughed deranged and loud, turning both the chief's as well as the taskforces' faces into looks of pure fear, though Soichiro looked as if he was contemplating whether or not to reach out for his son. Even Watari couldn't hold in a wince at the crazed look of evil on the young man's perfect face. 

But it wasn't the disturbing laughter that had L frozen in shock, though that was part of it. The sound of the laughter while it was undoubtedly Light's voice sounded almost like the boy's voice had been hollowed. The laughter began to grow deeper and deeper with every second until he couldn't hear Light at all. His body was twitching like a glitch on a a computer.

L felt a spark of something that wasn't terror that matched the faces of his companions. No, it was hope. Determination. This was the inch. He just needed to grab on.

Then Kira's eyes opened.

They were bright red.

The killer turned to look at the taskforce over his shoulder with a manic grin still stretched across his face as his laughter died down.

"That's right. I am Kira."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was L's plan revealed! I didn't want to go through absolutely all of it in this chapter because I have a doozy of a next chapter for ya'll. Rem's role in this story will be explained properly in a later chapter. But next time you can look forward to the return of Ryuk, the showdown of L and the taskforce against Kira and the hopeful unveiling of a very messed up Light. Though I'm not gonna spoil that for ya. Like I said before I took elements of the live action movie Death Note: The last name (btw frucking awesome movie) and infused that with elements of Near's confrontation of Kira in the last episode of the anime. There are more tags to be added yet and this story is gonna get a whole lot crazier. On that note, see ya round until the next chapter :)  
> (It'll be up sometime in the next couple of weeks, I'm really having fun writing again XD)  
> As always, feedback, comments and Kudos always make my day. If you want to you can listen to the song I picked out as like the theme for this series, it's called Roslyn by St Vincent and Bon Iver. It's an insanely beautiful song. Imma go watch Lawlight edits on Instagram and cry until I fall asleep, bye <3


	3. Is this the way it ends now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having finally cornered Kira at last, L tries to reach out to Light. But as Kira reveals his motives to the taskforce they realise they may be too late to save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And as always, I suck at chapter summaries. I'm trying with them but I just hate writing them. No one ever reads them anyway. 
> 
> Anyway, Hi ya'll!!  
> So this chapter was due to come out like a week ago but then my tutors decided to force a shit ton of assignments down my throat with barely any time to get them all done before the deadlines. When I was finally done i realised it's been over a month since I updated this story and while the chapter had been ready to go for like a week, I just never got round to posting it. I rewrote a few things last night and I am really happy to he finally posting this because I'm really loving writing this. It's so fun. The real shit hits the fan in this chapter so be warned :) I'm still using references from the Japanese live action movies and drama but this story is set in the anime because in my opinion it's the best rendition. But if you haven't already seen the live action ones i definitely recommend. Also over the last month I've been getting crazy obsessed with my hero academia and I'm debating on whether or not to do a few little short stories there, if you guys wanna see that then I'll do it, just let me know <3 also thanks so much for all the comments on my last chapter of this as always you guys make my day and I'm sorry this took so long to update. 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter and God bless this mess :)

"That's right. I am Kira."

Bright red eyes flashed at the taskforce surrounding him making them step back out of fear at the sight of the killer revealed in all his glory with his crooked smirk resting on his face. 

L kept his face impassive and disinterested among the six other men standing around them. They did it. They had possession of the notebook. They had Kira cornered. That was the end of their involvement in his plan. Now Kira had nowhere left to run. The killer must've already realised that, given the unnatural glow of red in his eyes. The sight was truly something to behold, like something out of a nightmare. 

_Interesting, even Misa seems terrified by you like this._

The poor girl had now frozen in place from where she had been struggling in vain against Mogi's strength to free herself to run to the safety of her love's arms. 

_Light, what's wrong with your eyes?_

Her eyes bore into the red pools of light drowning out the soft brown eyes. When she caught sight of his crooked smile, something sparked in her chest. He had a plan. He was going to find a way to get them out of this. He had to! Light was her love. Kira was God! He wouldn't let her die! Her vigorous struggling resumed, going as far as to start kicking at the officer quickly scrambling to keep hold of her.

_I don't care what you are. I will always love you._

Kira's eyes travelled around the room to bask in the horrified looks aimed in his direction. It wasn't over yet. He was a God. He had a job to do. He didn't have time to waste indulging these useless fools. 

_I won't be defeated by you, L. Rem may have betrayed me, but I still have one leg to stand on._

Light's hands fingered over the face of his watch.

"Hear this, I'm not only Kira,"

He spread his arms out wide.

"I'm also the God of the New world!" 

L almost rolled his eyes at the dramatic declaration. It was a pity. Kira's God complex was beyond tiresome. He would be lying if he said he hadn't hoped for a more interesting conversation when finally coming face to face with him. Though theatrics was a character trait both Light and Kira shared. He had no time to listen to what would undoubtedly lead to a monologue about how his actions were all in the name of justice. They had Kira cornered, now he wanted to talk to Light.

"And what will you do now?"

L glowered at the look of smugness that crossed the possessed man's face that was suddenly directed straight at him. 

The killer's smirk widened.

"Kill me right here?"

L's hands clenched into fists. He knew. Kira had already figured out that he wouldn't allow the taskforce to shoot him. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised that he had seen through the empty threat given who's body he shared. In some way or other, he knew enough about the last few months to have been able to deduce what L's true goal is. And now he was trying to rub salt in the wound. 

_Damn you, Kira._

"Is that really the right thing to do?"

The faces of the taskforce had settled from their previous looks of horror into a cold and hostile demeanor. Matsuda looked at Light over his shoulder, the kind man practically seething with anger.

L finally spoke up having reached his breaking point.

"What will become of you is out of our hands. You see, Kira, the law that this world has enforced states that individuals such as ourselves are not qualified or entitled to pass that sort of judgement on others, no matter what fate we perceive is suitable for a pathetic murderer such as yourself."

Kira seethed at the last remark filling L with a petty satisfaction.

"This is a law you chose to ignore. Despite your strong sense of justice, you ultimately yielded to the power of the Death Note and have confused yourself with a God. Whatever your will behind it, you chose to use the notebook with the intenion of killing. At the end of the day you are just another criminal, no better than the ones whose lives you took. And that, Kira, is all you are."

The detective watched as Kira's jaw clenched before relaxing and closing his eyes with a sigh.

"How would you understand? How would you ever understand, L? You never leave your room. You can't even begin to fathom what goes on out there! Society lives in fear as we are plagued by evil bastards who seek to hurt others! These worthless scum, who don't deserve the precious gift of life!"

_You could never understand, L. But I don't need you to understand, I just need to keep you stalled for a little longer._

"When I picked up the Death Note, I used it knowing what it would cost me, and it was a price I as willing to pay! Someone had to save the world! The Death note landed right before my eyes and I knew I had to be the one to do it! No, I was the only one who could!" 

The killer's eyes scanned the room, taking in all of their reactions as he plead with them to hear him.

"I understood that killing people was wrong! I felt sick with myself the moment I wrote the first name down. But think about it! Ever since I started using the Death Note, crime rates have dropped by seventy percent! Every name I wrote had already made their choice, every innocent life I saved now lives in peace as they know their voices have been heard and their prayers have been answered. These people need someone who is willing to guide them into a world rid off crime, a world of peace."

Kira's voice softened as he cast his gaze to the ground.

"The only one who can create a new world, is me."

A long silence ensued while the cars continued to drive past the building over their heads.

"No!"

The sudden loud exclamation caused all eyes to turn to L as he stared down the killer with a surprising level of malice.

"You are nothing more than a petty killer. You claim to have done this for the sake of the world, for the people, for justice. While that may have been your intention to begin with, the many innocent lives you took as well as the FBI agents you killed say otherwise. Wouldn't you agree? You never wanted justice, you longed for power. No matter how you look at it, murder is evil."

The initially condescending tone of L's voice filled with venom at the last statement making Kira want to laugh again.

_You let someone die in your place too, L. You were willing to sacrifice many more if it meant catching me. I may have blood on my hands but yours aren't exactly clean in all this._

Kira snapped, "By standing in my way, they were no better than the criminals I killed. They were obstacles trying to stop me from reaching my goal. It was necessary." He finished with a heavy sigh.

"Light."

The murderer's eyebrow quirked at his father as the chief finally found his voice again.

Soichiro stuttered his words for a moment as his son's cold red eyes flashed at him once again, almost making him take another step back. If this was how L's plan was intended to go, then with nowhere left to run, his son would have no choice but to listen. Maybe somehow, if they weren't already too late, they could still find Light under Kira's mask. The chief was anything if not an optimistic thinker, he always had hope no matter how dire the circumstances appeared to be. He wouldn't lose the hope that L had installed in him now that it involved saving his child.

His aging eyes narrowed further as Kira forced his boy to smirk at him mockingly. This wasn't Light. This wasn't his son. How dare he use him like this! How dare he turn him against his own family. The chief's jaw clenched in anger failing to hold in a growl.

_Give him back._

Soichiro took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax.

"Light, I know that you think what you are doing is right. You are trying to create a new world for us, a world without crime so that we don't have to worry. And I know you want us, that you want me to understand."

His voice trailed off as Light's glowing eyes shone, making him look almost hopeful. Soichiro's heart clenched at the killer looking at him through his son's eyes.

_Give him back!_

The chief continued, "And on some level, I do understand."

He ignored the several mortified gasps that filled the room as his men all turned to their leader in horrified shock. While even L seemed perturbed, he remained silent standing almost protectively in front of Watari.

Kira's chest spiked with sudden elation at soichiro's words making his grin return with a vengeance. 

_So even Soichiro understands that what I'm doing is for the greater good. What do you think of our dear old man now, partner? If anything you should be happy, I may not have to kill him after all._

Light looked through Kira's crimson irises to try and catch his father's gaze, which had dropped to the floor in shame at the admission. 

_Dad....don't give up! Don't let him win!_

"A world where crime doesn't exist, it's ideal. The law most certainly isn't perfect, neither are the people who create them. As a man of the law, I know that better than most."

_Keep talking, Soichiro Yagami. Tear down the perfect false image of justice you brought us up believing in! Break your son more than he already is, there isn't much of him left in here. If you of all people cave in to me then Light will surely die. I will be all that's left!_

Then the chief's expression turned steely.

"But, it's a never ending effort, an unrelenting determination to do good! While I understand your reasoning, I can not understand your means. Killing by any means is wrong! I told you when you were just a boy, two wrongs don't make a right. Killing a murderer doesn't make you a hero."

Kira's grin fell, being chased away by an angry grimace as rage flowed through his veins, drowning the earlier feeling of elation.

"What you've done is selfish. No matter what you were trying to achieve, this isn't justice!"

The taskforce collectively sighed with relief while looking at their former chief with admiration. Matsuda, who still remained slumped on his knees didn't make a sound as his fiery glare remained fixed on Light's back. No one noticed him. 

Despite all of what was going on, L managed to smile at the older Yagami. 

_Chief Yagami, you truly are a just man. I will uphold the promise I made to Light, not just for his sake or my own, but for yours as well._

Still being surrounded by the many guns aimed at him, Kira scowled at his father.

_Pity. Then I suppose I'll have no choice but to kill you along with the rest of them, for the sake of the new world. It's a shame really, I truly wish things could've turned out differently._

"This is nothing but a waste of time." 

"How so?" The question came from L.

Kira looked around at the taskforce pointedly, "They won't shoot me. You think you have won because you have me surrounded. Tell me, L, what exactly are you waiting for?" He asked snidely.

"Finally asking the right questions, Kira. Your God complex was beginning to bore me." L remarked with a smirk making Kira's blood boil.

The smirk faded fast.

"I want to talk to Light." 

Silence ensued filling the room with tension. To the detective's left he saw Aizawa and Ide look at him skeptically out of the corner of his eye while Misa once again stilled in Mogi's grip both looking back and forth between the two geniuses. It would have been almost comical in any other instance. Matsuda didn't move at all which for some reason brought a feeling of concern over him. 

Though the notion was quickly looked over once he caught Light's father looking at him. The chief was the only one he had told about his theory that Light and Kira weren't one in the same. Maybe not the wisest move to leave the rest of them in the dark on his part, but with how much time he had been given to put his plan into action, he hadn't really considered it important at the time to tell them all everything. 

He remembered Soichiro's words to Light before when he demanded to know which version of his son he was looking at. The taskforce hadn't so much as batted an eye at the question. Most likely out of sympathy for their leader and thinking the chief was searching for Light's motive, nothing else. They were loyal men, L could proudly say that about all of them.

Then Kira began chuckling again. 

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow. You've been speaking to me this whole time."

_So you figured that out too, L? Doesn't matter. Once you're gone, that little pest will be too weak to stop me. As I said, this is just a waste of time."_

"I don't believe you."

Kira growled.

"I could care less whether you believe me or not, L. But it's the truth. Think about it, which one of us was the one you confronted in the university? Which one of us did you call your first friend? Which of us did you place in confinement after they were the one who suggested it?"

L's expression remained blank yet both Kira and Light could tell he was considering the questions asked by the killer.

"The one you suspected. Me. I was always here. The one you are trying to save is someone you believe already existed. Yet that person is someone who only came to be after I gave up my memory of the Death Note. He never should have existed yet it was necessary in order to gain your trust. But he was nothing more than a shell, a decoy, nothing! He should've died the moment the Death Note was returned to me."

L's eyes widened a fraction as well as chief Yagami's while the rest of the task force as well as Misa looked at eachother with equally confused glances.

Then L smirked.

_Gotcha._

"As interesting as this information is, Kira, it isn't new to me. I always knew that the Light I was working alongside wasn't the same as the one I first approached at the university. He had a sense of justice stronger than his father's and he possessed a kind heart. Qualities that aren't shared by you."

Kira smirked deviously.

"But do you want to know what really confirmed the theory I'd kept to myself all this time?" 

The killer quirked his brow slightly in reply.

L sighed around his smile.

"It was the promise he asked me to keep to him in the event you ever returned. You see, Light may not have wanted to be Kira, but he was always willing to accept the fact that he could've been before he was confined. This is something he and I talked about many times and it was rather disheartening to see him look at himself differently when he knew it couldn't be a coincidence that pieces of his memories were missing. Of course given that I was the one who suspected him, I couldn't tell him otherwise as much as I may have wanted to."

_If you're still in there, then hopefully you will hear what I have to say next._

"The night before we planned to apprehend the third Kira, Light asked me what would happen if Kira's power were to transfer his abilities back on to him. He was scared because he wondered whether or not he would be able to keep control. While I was initially skeptical of this, I soon realised what he was truly asking was whether or not he would stay alive. If kira returned, Light would die. 

After all I had put him through, he was truly willing to accept that he was the first Kira and because of the promise I made to him, he was willing to lose his life because of it."

Kira inhaled sharply.

"While I was apprehensive to agree to such a thing, he made me swear that if you were ever to return that I would stop you by any means necessary. That was what finally confirmed my theory. If it was nothing more than an act in which to gain my trust, then there's no way Kira would so willingly give up his life. No, Light was prepared to die in the event you ever returned, because he knew as much as I did that Kira was evil and he didn't want to live as anything other than what he was. That's how I knew." L finished with a shrug of his shoulders.

By this point, Kira was seething.

_You bastard....._

Light heard every word and managed to smile weakly while knowing no one would see it. He was happy. He could die happy knowing that L wouldn't remember him as Kira but as Light. 

He felt strange now, like his body was floating. He knew his will to stop Kira was greater than his will to stay alive. It was making him weaker. He couldn't stop Kira now. He wasn't sure how long he would have left before Kira took complete control whether that be in a prison cell or with a bullet in his head, but he knew Kira had lost. He couldn't kill anyone else. He could only hope that L would keep his word.

"However, I soon came to realise that after I made that promise, no amount of determination I had to solve this case would ever bring me to kill someone I care about."

_And yes, Light, I know that's what you meant. Damn my reputation, whether I'm acting too sentimental or not I really don't care. Just please tell me you can hear what I'm saying._

L could tell he had a few raised eyebrows staring in his direction at that last confession. He payed them no mind. To be seen as vulnerable in Kira's eyes was almost like an admission of defeat. Yet if Light could hear him...

"So I told myself up on the roof that I would stop Kira and I would do everything I could to save you." 

Light froze in shock having been initially protesting about L breaking his word before hearing those words. L was speaking to him. Not to Kira. L was trying to save him. 

_I'm too weak..._

Kira chuckled darkly.

"And how do you propose to do that, L? While you may have figured out the truth, he won't respond to you. He can't speak. He's been growing weaker and weaker ever since I took back control. Even if he could, he would never give up his memories. He thinks he deserves to die for what we've done. You can't save him."

"No!" Soichiro cried while L felt something inside him clench. Light was too weak? Did that mean that even if he could see and hear what was going on that Kira was too strong? 

_What do I do? I don't understand what's going on here! Damn it all!_

He must've shown how he was feeling because Kira began to grin.

"Interesting. It seems the feeling is mutual after all."

L's face turned questioning and Kira was quick to explain.

"You see, it wasn't that long ago that he was pleading for your life too, L." Kira scoffed. "Back there on the roof before you set your little plan into action, he knew that your time was almost up and before I knew it he was begging for me to spare you. So pathetic, how he was willing to risk everything we worked for just to save one man's life. But, now I see it with you as well. Damn, you two really got to eachother didn't you?" Kira laughed. "And to think if he never wrote that letter, you would already be dead by now."

Anger blossomed within Light's chest. This was tiresome. Time for this to end.

_Just admit defeat. You know you've lost._

Silence was his only response before his head exploded with pain making him scream. Like screaming into a void, no one heard him. He was dying. His head felt like his skull was being crushed. 

_Stop it! Stop it! Please, make it stop! It hurts!_

Kira's resounding snarl was bordering on animalistic, though Light almost missed it over his cries of agony.

_You dare tell me to admit defeat after everything you've done to get in my way?! No! I think it's time you learned who is really in control here and what happens when you try and get in my way!_

Kira took a moment to look around at everyone in the room individually before turning his back to them.

"But it doesn't matter. None of this matters. You want me to admit that I've lost, L?"

Kira moved up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal his watch before he began fiddling with the strap.

_What are you going to do?!_

Kira smiled cynically.

He pulled in the handle four times for the watch to open with a click. The bloody needle was still in place. So was the piece of the death note. With his right hand he took the needle and stabbed the point into his finger. The silver became tainted with red as he held it over the paper.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

_L Lawliet your time is up!_

Kira brought the needle down onto the scrap of paper.

"He has a piece of the notebook!" Mogi yelled.

He barely had time to write the first letter before the sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the room and pain shot through his hand. Kira cried out in both surprise and pain and found once getting over the initial shock of it all that his hand was quickly filling with blood. Someone had shot him. They actually shot him.

He heard Misa scream as he clutched his bleeding hand to his chest and clenched his jaw in rage.

_Who would dare..._

"Matsuda.." He heard Aizawa's voice call out in shock. 

Kira turned around to face the man who up until now had been strangely quiet. The man who almost always had a smile on his face. Matsuda was now stood up. His gun was smoking having just been fired, but that didn't hide his face from the killer. Matsuda's eyes were full of rage while tears streamed down his cheeks. His jaw clenched in fury while his heavy breathing quickly turned into growling. 

Light could barely feel any pain despite having just been shot. His vision became clouded as tears welled in his eyes at the look on his oldest and arguably dearest friend's face. It wasn't right. Matsuda was always smiling. He always had ever since they were kids. This anger, this pain, he had caused that. 

Light tried in vain to reach out to him. Damn it! Why was he so weak?

_Touta..._

Kira howled in anger as he stumbled on his feet, "Matsuda, you idiot! Who the hell do you think you're shooting at?! How dare you!"

L watched the scene unfold with his shock matching that of everyone around them. He inwardly cursed himself. He should've known something like this would happen. He was being too quiet. But still, L didn't see how he could've expected that kind hearted, dimwitted, bumbling Matsuda would snap so suddenly. Though at the same time, the man held more emotion within himself than the entire room put together. Being the one who stood up for Light's innocence more than anyone from the very beginning, L could imagine how heartbroken the fool must be. 

He knew he needed to put a stop to this before either one of them attacked the other in what would undoubtedly end in a very bloody outcome. Though as he watched the two stand off against eachother, L couldn't move. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Watari, most likely. Probably knowing what he was thinking and warning him not to move, lest he be injured as well.

Matsuda took in a shuddering breath as more tears stained his cheeks. He held his gun up again aiming it at Kira.

"What was it all for then?! What about those agents, Penber, Misora, all those innocent people, what the hell did they all die for?!" Matsuda bellowed every word.

Kira held his bleeding hand to him protectively while his red eyes flashed.

_Well well, Mr Matsuda finally grew a backbone._

"What about them?! They were nothing! Think about it Matsuda, all those earnest people who fight for justice like those FBI agents, in the end they'll always lose. I know you understand, you said yourself you can see from Kira's point of reason! So kill the others! Shoot them now!" Kira screamed. 

Matsuda seethed, the grimace on his face intensifying. He held his finger over the trigger.

He wouldn't kill him. He couldn't. Not while Light was still in there. When L had told them his plan, he made it explicitly clear that under no circumstance could they deliver a fatal shot. The guns were only to intimidate Kira into surrendering. But now things were different. Light was still alive.  
Whether L was just saying it at first just because he wanted to believe it, Matsuda didn't care. It gave him hope. Then Kira had confirmed it and now he would die for what he had done. 

If they couldn't save Light, why the hell were they even here?! How could he call himself a man of the law if he couldn't protect one man who he held so dear to him? How could he stand in the same room as the chief after letting him down by failing to save his son?!

He was done being scared. 

If Kira wanted a fight, whether he won or died, Matsuda would give him one.

"You claim you want to save innocent people, yet you send them to their deaths and make them out to be nothing more than fools?!" Matsuda's voice rose.

His anger grew when he saw Kira wasn't even looking at him but down at his wounded hand that was dripping blood onto the floor. 

Matsuda saw red the moment Kira moved his hand over the watch again. He was using his blood to write. Matsuda aimed his gun straight for Light's watch. He couldn't have anymore pieces of the notebook on him. This was his last resort. If he took the watch out of the equation then Kira would have no choice but to surrender. 

_LET HIM GO!_

"Matsuda!"

The sudden call of his name by Aizawa was enough to catch him off guard as Matsuda pulled the trigger. The sudden shout startled him forcing him to lose his aim as the gun fired.

His eyes turned back to face Aizawa ready to snap at him when the words died on his tongue at the expression on his face. The other man was now no longer looking back at him but in front of him. His friend's look of horror was soon matched by Ide as the other man followed Aizawa's line of sight. 

Touta's eyes glanced left to where L was standing. His black eyes were impossibly wide looking the most terrified he had ever seen him while Watari had a tight grip on the detective's shoulder though he looked as stunned as L did. 

_What happened?_

The he heard a pained gasp from behind him that made Matsuda freeze before dread quickly began to consume him. 

He had messed up the shot when Aizawa called his name.

Misa's scream was the first to snap him out of his trance as he turned to see she had her hand over her mouth in shock while tears began rapidly flowing down her beautiful face. Mogi wasn't struggling to keep hold of her anymore, looking just as frozen in place as the rest of them.

_No...please...tell me I didn't...._

Touta's eyes shifted towards the boy who he had just fired at. Light was staring down at his chest as he rasped for air. His breaths came out in short desperate pants as he removed his wounded hand from where it was placed over his chest to see that the small stain of red on the grey tshirt he was wearing under his shirt was growing rapidly. 

While Light felt the first shot that got him in the hand, he hadn't really felt any pain while Kira had howled in agony. Yet the moment the second bullet pierced his chest, he felt like his whole body had been consumed by fire. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe as blood began pooling into his lungs and it was as he instinctively went to cover the wound with his hand that he found he could move again. What the hell was going on?!

_Poor little Light. It seems our time together is about to come to an end after all._

He heard Misa screaming but between the pain in his chest and the disorientation of being able to feel and move returning so unexpectedly, Light couldn't even look at her. 

_Well, partner, it seems L did brake his word to you in the end. Who can save you now?_

So Kira had given up control? Just like that? He switched their roles just before Matsuda could fire his weapon. Meaning, the pain he was feeling, his movements, they were real? Did that mean...could he speak?

Light choked as he opened his mouth and tried in vain to take a breath. He could taste blood on his tongue. Was Kira really just going to let him die here? 

Looking down at his shirt, Light saw the fabric over his chest was now more red than it was grey. He placed his hand back over the wound, pressing down as hard as possible and failing to suppress a whimper at how painful it was.

Everyone was staring at him each with similar looks of horror twisting their faces. His eyes settled on one man in particular. 

Reaching out his hand, feeling it move of his own violation, Light rasped, barely managing to call out his name.

"L..." He managed to say before he found himself collapsing to his knees. 

All at once everyone began running at Light and he felt himself land in someone's arms. He made out the movements of their mouths, each calling out his name. But all Light could hear was Kira's mocking laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....so here's the thing *runs away*   
> I'm sorry! I remember some people commented on the last chapter about the return of Light and I'm sorry I had to have it happen like this. Dont worry, remember I said this was gonna be a longer story than part one and two (which will make the story make more sense if you already read those, feel free to go check them out!) 
> 
> If yall wanna come and rant about death note or any other anime in the comments then feel free, I'm here all week. 
> 
> Also next chapter comes with a tissue warning so just want you all to be prepared for that:) this story is so fun to write. I love hearing you all on here, your comments make my day it makes me wanna update like everyday. As always feel free to leave a comment, kudos are much appreciated. Chapter 4 will be up soon :) until then I'll c ya later!


	4. Hold on, I still need you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Light's life now hanging in the balance, will L recognise Kira's cowardly move of giving control back to his other half before it's too late to save him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! So lets see, awful chapter summary: Check! Is it three o clock in the morning? Check! Do I look like I give a fuck? Negative! How the hell did this chapter turn out so long?! I edited and rewrote do much of this chapter and somehow it turned from 5k words into almost 8k!? Huh?! Anyway...how've yall been! Hope yous are doing well amidst this shitshow we're dealing with. I just wanted to say a massive thank you to yall who commented on my last chapter, you all seriously made my day and I'm proud to say this is probably my most popular fic on here, which is just...wow! 
> 
> I could do that thing where I supply a tissue warning before a chapter begins, but I dunno whether or not it sounds like I'm blowing my own trumpet. Just play the most depressing music you can think of while reading this and you'll feel just as sad as I did writing this chapter. Have fun!!!

L was running towards him before Light's knees hit the ground. Soichiro was behind him as he began to fall backwards and wrapped his arms around his son before his head could make contact with the floor. 

"Light!" He yelled, his only reply being a gasp of pain or shock or both.

The chief supported his weight and placed Light's head in his lap until before he knew it they were surrounded by the taskforce each of them screaming Light's name as they kneeled around them with their guns lay forgotten behind them. 

Forcing his way past Aizawa and Ide, L fell to his knees by Light's side as the teen rasped for breath. His wide eyes fell to the barely covered wound before wandering back up to Light's face where his eyes were screwed shut from the pain. 

This wasn't supposed to happen. It all happened so quickly. 

_It....Light.... Damn!_ Why couldn't he think clearly?! The detective's mind was racing a mile a minute keeping him frozen in place as his thoughts refused to settle. Light's shirt was soaked in blood already with the only pressure against the wound being from his own injured hand. 

_Pressure...We need to apply pressure against the wound to stop the bleeding!_

Thinking at the same time, both L and Soichiro removed Light's hand from his chest and replaced it with their own with one over the other, the two men barely managing to hold in a wince as Light yelped in pain. This wouldn't be enough. He was already losing alot of blood. He needed medical assistance.

"Watari!" L turned his head to face the older man only to see he was already dialing the number before he had the chance to give the order. The chief removed his hand from over the wound causing L to look at him questionably. Soichiro aggressively shrugged his jacket off his shoulders before wrapping it around his hand and pressing the material against the hole in Light's chest. Light once again gasped brokenly through the pressure but didn't stir. 

"Son? Light, can you hear me?! I need you to open your eyes! You can't lose consciousness now! Stay with me, son. We're all here with you!" 

It was at that moment that Light's eyes finally fluttered open. 

L wasn't sure what he expected when he looked into the boy's eyes, whether he would see the murderous glare of Kira or the red eyes of a devil. Yet the red glow of Kira's eyes was no longer there. All traces of darkness that had plagued his perfect face had disappeared. Light's eyes looked into L's. Light's eyes were brown. 

"Light?" The name slipped past his lips before he could even think about it, yet he had to know. The cold and calculating stare that had been there moments ago was gone. Warmth flooded the boy's eyes like honey. His expression was pained and sad. When Light rasped again, L could see the blood on his tongue. 

"L..." 

The detective reached for the other's hand without giving it a second thought. 

_There you are._

Brown eyes wandered up to his father's, the older man's breath hitching once he saw the same thing L did.

"..Dad." 

The chief's eyes widened in disbelief and wonder before becoming quickly glossed over with emotion. The hand that wasn't pressed against Light's chest came to touch the boy's face.

"Son?" Soichiro's voice heightened as his heart pounded in his chest.

Light's eyes widened slightly before closing once again, his head turned towards his father like he was trying to hide his face as a tear escaped his eye. 

_This is real...you can hear me...Dad, L, everyone....I'm..._

"I'm...I'm so sorry."

That sentence alone was enough to choke Light out as he gasped for breath through the blood filling his lungs. He could hear a gentle voice shushing him as he cried in his father's arms. 

The Chief's hand resting on his cheek moved in a caress wiping the tears away, trying to calm his son while he himself tried to mask the spike of fear in his heart at Light's desperate attempts to breathe.

"I'm right here, son. You don't have to say anything. Don't tire yourself."

His words were ignored as Light weakly shook his head.

_No...I want to say this while I still can._

"I tried," Light wheezed, "I tried to..hold him back...I didn't want to hurt anybody...I didn't want to kill anybody.. I wasn't strong enough to keep control."

Light coughed. L's grip on his hand tightened when he saw blood appear from the corner of Light's mouth. The sudden pressure against his hand turned Light's attention to the detective kneeling by his side before he realised L was pressing against the wound in his chest as his father was. Through the pain, a ghost of a smile appeared on Light's face.

_L.._

"Ryuzaki.." 

Words slipped away from L as they locked eyes. Light's voice was so quiet, his name spoken barely louder than a whisper. His thoughts left along with his words as Light brought his other wounded hand up to rest over his own bloodied hand that was adding pressure to his chest. L could've sworn that Light was trying to hold his hand with as much strength as he could muster. His delicate fingers enclosed around L's smaller palm in a grip that was weaker than a newborn's. 

Turning his attention to their other joined hands that weren't soaked in Light's blood, without even hesitating L interlocked their fingers and squeezed as hard as he could trying to will some of the warmth back into them. He was already so cold. 

"Light.." 

This time, L saw as Light's smile reached his eyes. There was no mistake. No one could fake a smile like that. So bright even given the situation. So completely and truly Light.

_But..what of Kira-_

"He's gone."

It was one of the rarer times where Light actually saw the great detective confused. 

"Kira...he gave control back to me before Matsuda could fire the gun.." He explained before letting out a laugh that turned into another coughing fit.

_You ran before you could feel the pain, before you could be reminded of just how human you really were. God my ass, you coward! Where's that voice of yours now? What's the matter, huh? Nothing more to say?_

"I can't even hear his voice now." 

_I can't even feel your presence._

As if demanding to be felt in Kira's place, the pain in his chest burned making him feel like his lungs were on fire. He could feel more blood escaping his body with every shaking breath he took. 

L couldn't even be surprised as Light answered the internal question before he could even think of a logical reason as to the murderer's sudden disappearance. Their minds were two of a kind. 

But it wasn't a cause for satisfaction.

_Damn you! Damn you straight to hell!_

His own anger stirring in his chest stunned the detective before cursing internally with frustration.

_Oh, Light, what have you turned me in to?_

The boy in question once again ripped L from his thoughts as it appeared Light was trying to speak. Several choked sounds left the younger man's mouth as more blood emerged from the corner of his mouth.

"What is it, Light?" 

Light rasped, "...Never...never should have..." the struggling teen was forced to cut himself off as he ran out of air between his words.

His father once again tried to stop Light from talking, seeing clearly how it was affecting his already laboured breathing. But Light shook his head again between coughs and L understood. Light needed to speak. 

"What are you trying to say, Light?" L asked to encourage the other.

"I...never should've.. " Light panted, "Never should've touched that notebook..."

L tensed, his grip on Light's hand tightened. Was he referring to the time before he was confined, before he started killing? Or did he mean...

_It's not your fault. You were without your memories. You were curious. I made a mistake that night. In our triumph over discovering Kira's murder weapon, I allowed my guard to slip. I was careless. I should've known better than to let you near that thing again._

L tried to speak the words aloud, the attempt being in vain as they quickly died on his tongue. This was the first time anything like this had happened while he had been there to see it in person. This was the first time he had become so emotionally involved in a case. He'd challenged Kira out of nothing but mere interest. He never in a million years imagined he would actually care. 

L the detective doesn't get emotional. It was a lesson he had learned when the name, L, became known to the world. Think with your head, not with your heart. That was what Watari always told him from the time he was a child. Because as lonely as his life may be, he would be spared a greater deal of pain further down the line. He sacrificed lives as if the people he used were nothing more than tools, or pawns on a chessboard. Because if he didn't see them as people, then he wouldn't have to live with the guilt. L the detective was deemed as cruel, selfish and arrogant by many. He was a childish man, who hated to lose. 

But above all, he was still a human.

And it was hard work being as heartless as he was.

But as he kneeled beside the boy slowly bleeding out in his father's arms, the detective's blackened heart did that God awful thing where it twisted cruelly in his chest. It was almost ironic how the one he had suspected for so long was the one who was making him feel this way. If it were Kira he was looking down on, he would've called the pain a heart attack. 

It was something he had noticed about himself over the last few months while being literally attached to the other's side. Light, unlike him, was an emotional person. He laughed when L was unintentionally funny. L would feel the twist in his chest. Light would get angry when L accused him of being Kira. L would feel the twist later on as well as the pain of a punch in the face. The twisting feeling was worse whenever Light gave him the silent treatment after they fought. Light would smile at him whenever they had a breakthrough, warmth and pride written all over his face. L would feel the twist again. Light would stand by the window during the nights where it rained, the moonlight embracing him and lighting up his skin, highlighting his smile of wonderment. Light would watch the rain with wonderment. L would watch Light and feel the twist again. Light had cried as he wrote his final letter. L remembered how his heart had clenched at the other's pain.

He hated it. Or more specifically, he hated that he didn't really know what it was. And there was nothing in the world the great detective hated more than not knowing the answer. Kira's words resounded in his head.

"He pleaded for your life...willing to risk everything to save one man's life...if he never wrote that letter, you would already be dead.."

A small sound brought L from his train of thought again as he looked down to see Light practically grinning up at him and..wait, was he laughing?!

Both L and Soichiro exchanged looks of confusion, the former thinking the boy may have gone delirious from blood loss and the look of concern on the chief's face told L that he may be thinking along the same lines. 

"You..you're thinking too loud.." the teen rasped, his smile growing at the questioning looks he was receiving. L blinked at the other before his expression quickly turned deadpan.

_Of course you would somehow manage to find this amusing._

His attention was drawn back to Light as his weak laughter turned into a coughing fit more violent than before. The detective failed to mask his panic as a line of blood flowed from the corner of the younger man's mouth and trailed down his chin. He looked around rapidly trying to find or do something to aid him and before he knew it, Watari was by his side. L faced the old man in bewilderment as he removed his jacket and folded it over before moving around to where Light's head was lying. 

"I need you to lift his head for me, Mr Yagami." He addressed the chief.

Soichiro's eyes shot up to Watari before wandering down to his son, whose coughing still hadn't ceased. After processing the question asked by the older man, the chief removed his hand from over Light's chest, L quickly placing his hand over the wound in his place as Soichiro brought his bloody hand to cradle the back of his son's neck before carefully lifting his head from where was resting.

Once Soichiro gently lifted his son, Watari slid the folded jacket underneath Light's head before motioning for the chief to lay him back down. Light's coughs began to die down while Watari produced a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe away the blood from his chin. 

"With his head elevated, his breathing should be less restricted." The elderly man explained. 

Aizawa glanced between his former boss, to Light, to the detective and his butler before addressing the latter, "Watari, do you not have a first aid kit or a dressing or anything we can use for a bandage back in the building!?" He shouted as he watched the chief's son gasp for breath.

The old man's shoulders slumped slightly before slowly shaking his head, "I...I'm afraid there isn't much we can do that isn't already being done." He replied wistfully.

L looked up at his carer with narrowed eyes, "Where is the ambulance, Watari?" 

The man in question didn't note on the desperation in L's voice. He turned around to look at the drive in entrance of the parking garage.

"It's been called. Until then, there is not much else we can do in the meantime. Just keep applying pressure." 

Watari stared at his boy after noticing before that his neutral mask had slipped, L's forehead creased while his face was contorted with worry that the taskforce couldn't see as kept his gaze fixed on Light. 

"Keep your focus, Ryuzaki. He can't afford for you to lose your head right now."

To anyone else, the words given by the elder man would've come across as cruel, to put an unfair amount of pressure on someone who could do no more than what they were. But while the words were spoken stiffly, L recognised that look in his eye that conveyed their meaning in a way that words didn't need to.

_Remain calm. Panicking won't help him. Just breathe. The answer will come to you._

Taking a deep breath in, L squeezed Light's hand as the boy writhed, his eyes beginning to drop. And then it hit him before he could panic again.

_Keep talking to him._

"Light?" L called out his name, his voice finally returning to him. He pressed down slightly harder against the other's chest.

Light's eyes fluttered open at the pressure, expecting to feel pain explode inside his chest. But the pain was beginning to fade as his body began to feel colder and colder. His tired gaze locked with L's, he tried to respond through his shaking breaths from the cold and the blood that was flooding his lungs and clogging up his throat.

"The ambulance is on it's way, Light. Don't worry, you're going to be fine." 

_L, why do you sound so worried?_

"Just stay with me, Light, just a little bit longer."

_Why are you trying so hard to save me?_

"Is...everyone..." Light tried once again to get a sentence out.

_Is everyone else okay?_

L internally sighed with relief as Light tried to speak, making an effort to stay conscious.

"Everybody is fine, Light. Just try and focus on you now." L assured him while finishing his thought for him.

Light smiled weakly, taking several laboured breaths, "Like you are?" He responded.

L allowed himself to smile slightly in response.

_Always trying to make the best of a bad situation, huh?_

"You're going to be fine." L stated. Because what else could he possibly say. Words couldn't heal wounds like that. Light would be fine. That's all there was to it. He refused to accept anything else.

Light gasped sharply, his expression then turning pained as more tears ran down his face.

"It hurts." The boy cried weakly.

Soichiro kept his hand running over Light's hair, thankful his son couldn't see as his own tears managed to escape him.

"I know, son. I know." He said while glancing towards the entrance hoping he would see an ambulance only to see the roads were still almost bare, the addition of the rainstorm making it harder to see ahead.

Mogi was forced to remain standing in order to keep a hold of Misa, who hadn't stopped screaming. The former police officer gritted his teeth as he watched the chief holding his son in his arms with a determined look in his eye as he pressed his hand down against the boy's chest. He wanted to help, to do something! His comrades were by the chief's side, so why couldn't he move!

Then he heard a shaking breath from behind him and turned his head to see. Matsuda was shaking, his gun remained poised in front of him in a loose grip as his arm was trembling so badly. His eyes were as wide as the sea, his skin was as pale as death, his mouth was dry as he breathed in. Mogi's expression fell with concern for his friend before he tried to get his attention.

"Matsuda?" Mogi called his name.

The young officer's breath hitched before the gun fell from his hand and clattered against the floor. Trembling hands clutched at his chest as his shaking breaths turned rapid and desperate causing Mogi's eyes to widen in fear. He's going into shock!

"Matsuda!" The older officer called out again.

Touta's heart ceased once he saw Light fall to his knees on the other end of his gun. His body stopped moving once he saw blood pour from the hole in his chest. His breathing stilled once he saw his dearest friend reach out with his wounded hand to call out for L, who was now by his side. It was like he had died from the shock as realisation struck him like lightning at his fatal mistake. 

He shot him. He did. No one else. He had shot Kira. No! He shot Light! 

_I...I shot Light...I shot my friend...I did! Light! It's my fault! Mine! I did this! Idiot! Why did I pull the damn trigger?! Why did Aizawa try and stop me?! No! This is my fault! No one else's! Light... Light!_

Burying his hands into his hair, Matsuda screamed. 

The devastating screams caught the attention of his comrades, who stared at him with looks of shock and pity. Mogi startled at the display and before he could try and reach out to his friend, Matsuda was running towards them. Aizawa and Ide quickly moved out of the way before Matsuda could force them, collapsing down on his knees before the chief and his son. 

As well as the rest of the taskforce, Matsuda's screams reached Light as well as whilst the older man was beginning to hyperventilate, the boy's head turned. Screaming settling into panicked sobbing, Matsuda waited for it. He waited for them all to look at him like the damned stupid idiot he was! He waited for his comrades, his friends, the chief, for all of them to scream at him. What had he done?! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!

His crying ceased completely when he felt a gentle touch against his hand where they were hanging by his knees. Matsuda didn't look up from the ground. It was one of the taskforce, probably. Trying to pity him and comfort him so he would stop. He didn't want pity! Why wasn't anyone yelling at him for this?! Why wasn't the chief telling him to move away from his son? 

"..Touta?" 

The small voice speaking his name made Matsuda look up before he could even think about it. His eyes were so wide they were practically bulging out of his head. Light was the one reaching forward, trying with whatever strength he had to grab hold of the other's hand and looking up at him with concern. Or maybe it was something else? No. Matsuda had known him long enough to know what Light looked like when he was worried about something. That look was almost always aimed at him when they were growing up. 

Light waited until Matsuda had stopped crying and was now staring at him in bewilderment. He tried to squeeze the hand he was attempting to hold, only being able to slightly twitch his finger.

"Always so emotional." Light rasped between pants before smiling at his friend. 

Touta couldn't believe what he was seeing. Was he dreaming? Was this some kind of messed up nightmare? The sentence was so absurd given the circumstances that he had no idea how to react. 

Then he remembered. They were just kids. The fact that Light was younger than Touta by four years never mattered. In their childhood they were inseparable with their parents being in such close contact that he had considered the Yagami household like a second home to him. 

While he was the older one, he was expected to be the one looking out for Light, though that couldn't be further from the truth. Light was always the one helping him with his homework. Light was always the one who fought and chased away the bullies that came after them all because Touta was too scared to do anything. Light was always the one comforting him when he cried and telling him that everything would be okay. Light was smart, extraordinarily so. He was brave, no one ever tried to bully him because of it. He was kind, enough so that he never left Touta's side for being a wimp in school.

Touta had always known he was a cry baby. He knew that he could get overly emotional about alot of things. He had been that way ever since his father died when he was ten, around the time he and Light first met, the latter being only six at the time. But Light never held it against him. He poked fun at him for it at times but it was never to be taken seriously. 

He tried to hold back a laugh, thinking it inappropriate and failed, laughing brokenly through his tears. If anyone was looking at him because of it, he didn't care. Light was laughing too, as hard as it must've been.

_You're always checking everyone else is okay before worrying about yourself._

Their relationship was so backwards, if it weren't for the obvious height difference back then, people probably would've been confused at who the older out of the two of them really was. They could never go to school together due to their age, and Touta never really made any friends in school. On the other hand, Light had people lining up wanting to be his friend while he never showed any interest, preferring to keep to himself. They saw eachother enough outside of school that neither ever really felt alone. 

He always had his mother even after the chief took him under his wing. Their fathers had been friends, working together on the force. The first time meeting the Yagami family being at his father's funeral, Touta told Soichiro about his dream, wanting to take over for his father as a man of the law so he could make him proud. The chief supported his goal from the beginning, telling him how his own son wanted to follow in his footsteps, wanted to make a difference in the world. A high bar for a six year old to raise for himself. After becoming friends, they supported eachother, he had the perseverance while Light had the determination. 

It wasn't long after they'd began to drift apart that Kira appeared. Light had become more reserved in his final year of high school, putting all of his focus into studying while Touta tried his best to fit into his new status at the NPA. They had spoken a few times over the phone but never in person. But he noticed how much more distant Light had become and chose to ignore it, placing it down to stress. When L began to show signs of suspicion towards Light after he agreed to cooperate as part of the Kira task force, Touta found himself disliking the detective. Even more so when clear proof of Light's innocence became evident yet L seemed adamant on holding whatever evidence he had against the younger. 

He had often found himself wondering if people who did bad things deserved to die. But it's not as if he would ever actually kill anyone. He assumed the situation was the same for Light as well, refusing to believe under any circumstance that Light was the monster L made Kira out to be. 

He never imagined L could actually be right. He never wanted to believe that the killer who called himself Kira, could actually be his closest friend. 

But there was a difference in knowing someone was innocent and not wanting to acknowledge their guilt. This was a difference both he and the chief were blind to, because if it turned out L was right, the truth was too heartbreaking to consider. 

But whoever Kira was, no, whatever he is, was gone. And Touta felt hope for his childhood friend that he wasn't completely lost to them forever. He didn't know what would've been worse, watching Light spend the rest of his life in prison or be sent to execution. 

It didn't matter now. None of that compared to the pain he felt of being the one who shot his friend down. He hadn't meant to do it. But somehow that made the pain feel worse. Why wasn't Light mad at him for this? Why? He didn't understand! 

"I'm sorry..." Light wheezed.

Matsuda balked at the other in confusion before closing his hand around Light's and holding it properly. 

"What?!" Touta exclaimed.

"I...I let you down.." Light had to pause more between words as his breathing quickened. His eyes glossed over again as they glanced around to each of the men kneeling by his side trying to stop the blood.

"You..all believed in me..so much." He coughed, "That I couldn't possibly be guilty...I'm so sorry...I betrayed you all.." 

The youngest police officer was so taken aback by his words he almost began sobbing all over again. 

"No, Light. You don't have to apologise! This wasn't your fault! I should be the one apologising. I though by shooting your watch that had the piece of the notebook in it, then I could make Kira surrender! If only I hadn't messed up my damn shot..." 

Matsuda cut himself off as he felt pressure against his shoulder and saw the chief's hand placed over his shoulder. 

"I...I don't blame you." Light said.

The chief nodded, "Neither do I." 

"Nor do I." L agreed though he didn't take his eyes away from Light.

"You were trying to protect them." Light continued. He coughed again, blood spilling over the corner of his mouth before he groaned in pain.

"I...was weak..his hold over me was too strong for me to stop him..."

L reached forward with the handkerchief Watari had used before to wipe the blood away before it could trail down his cheeks. He, Matsuda and the chief all looked ready to protest but Light continued before either one of them had the chance to speak.

"But it's okay..." The shine building up in his eyes spilled over, the smile on his face never fading for a second through his tears. "Because, you stopped Kira. You saved everyone in this room, Touta. You did. You saved their lives..."

Light instinctively squeezed the hands he was holding as more pain shot through his chest.

"And you saved me, too. You freed me." 

Soichiro looked away from his son, needing to as more tears of his own managed to escape. Despite the fact he couldn't bear to look at Light in the state he was in, he held onto his boy a little bit tighter.

"...And I'm grateful."

Matsuda's expression turned into one of disbelief as he brought his other hand up to wipe his eyes. 

"..Not only for that...but...despite everything, even though I turned out to be the monster in the end...you...dad... you never gave up on me.." 

All three men reacted simultaneously, L and Soichiro pressing down harder on Light's chest while Matsuda reached over to place his on top of theirs.

"And we're not giving up on you now." Soichiro said, now looking Light in the eye with a fierceness to his expression that wasn't there before. "And neither are you, so stop talking like this, Light!" 

But Light was shaking his head, "No...I need to say what I have to say, while I still can." He said, fierceness matching his father's. 

"Tell Mom and Sayu that I love them." 

Soichiro's eyes closed in dispair as more tears left them.

"I'm going to miss them so much." Light said, his voice growing quieter as breathing quickly became harder and harder. He was running out of time. 

"They...they can't know. About any of this. I don't want this to be how they remember me, especially Sayu...Tell them that I died...that I was killed by Kira. Can...can you do that for me?" 

Light stopped as more blood blocked his throat sending him into another fit of coughing to try and somewhat relieve his airways. He didn't care if it came out of his mouth, as long as he could say what he had to. He looked back up to his father to see his eyes were open once again, the sight of his dad so heartbroken was enough to break him as well, letting out a sniffle and letting the tears fall freely. It helped to relieve some of the pain at least.

"I know I...haven't done anything to deserve it, but...can you promise me that at least, that they'll never know? Please..." 

Oh God, what would his mother and sister say if they could see him now? What would they think of him? Could his mother ever live with knowing her son was a murderer? And Sayu, he was supposed to set an example for her. He hadn't seen them in months and now he would never see them again.

_I didn't even get to say goodbye..._

Soichiro wiped his eyes aggressively, "Yes, I promise. But I don't need to, Light. You're going to be fine." The chief's voice wavered like he was unsure of his own words. 

Light simply smiled.

"I love you, Dad."

His father's breath hitched before he broke down into devastated sobs, resting his cheek against his son's head. 

Aizawa found himself unable to watch the scene before him any longer. He felt like he was intruding. The sight of the chief crying so openly for his child was too much. He couldn't imagine what he would do had their roles been reversed and it was his daughter in that position. He couldn't bare thinking about it. 

"Shit. Where's this damn ambulance?!" The former police officer explained. Ide, his long time friend seemed to sense his distress as he spoke up, "I'll go and check outside, see if it's close by."

Aizawa nodded, grateful for the distraction, "I'll go with you. Mogi, can you call them again and see where they are?" 

"Already on it." Mogi responded slipping his phone from his pocket. Misa had collapsed to her knees after so long trying to escape and was now crying her eyes out. Mogi felt sorry for her. He truly did. As strange as it sounded, he didn't see Misa as a bad person, despite everything. A part of him wanted to let her go, though there was no telling what she would do. The Shinigami was still lingering around somewhere and all Misa would have to do was call out for it.

Light began feeling faint as he began to see spots in his vision. His smile still didn't waver as his father cried. Matsuda held Light's hand in both of his like he was trying to force the warmth back into it. Their hands became wet as Touta's tears dropped onto their joined palms. Light didn't mind. He found it next to impossible to breathe in anymore, the barest hint of air making it's way through to his bleeding lungs. His breathing came in quick harsh pants joined by pained gasps as numbness began to set in over his body. 

_Is this what dying feels like?_

He was so disorientated that he startled when he felt someone squeeze his other hand. His smile came back as he knew who it was. He turned his head towards L.

L had been listening the whole time to the exchange between Light, Soichiro and Matsuda, all the while never tearing his eyes away from Light. He observed the way Light's skin paled from lack of oxygen. He felt the way his temperature dropped as he held his hand. He could see the life leaving the younger man as his breathing grew more and more laboured while his eyes grew tired from trying so hard to stay conscious.

Panic seized L's heart when he saw Light's eyes beginning to fall shut and squeezed his hand to try and stir him back to awareness. The detective counted the minutes in his head as they slowly crept on by. Based on his estimations, the ambulance should've been here already. If the storm outside was anything to go by, then a road accident was always possible, or maybe traffic. Regardless, L wouldn't let Light lose consciousness now. 

"...You...found my letter?" 

The sudden question from the teen caught L off guard as he had been trying to think of what else to say to keep Light awake. But L was more than happy to indulge as Light himself was making an effort to keep his eyes open. 

"Yes. I see now why you wouldn't show me what you were writing before. But I couldn't stop thinking about why you cried that night." L hummed thoughtfully. 

"I wanted to be prepared, wanted you to know everything I was thinking before I...." Light paused abruptly, looking away for a moment before turning back, "I couldn't let him kill you."

L's heart twisted painfully. When he tried to push it down, the pain was replaced by a burning sensation in his eyes. The burning grew in intensity as Light continued looking up at him.

"If I had to lose one of us, I'm glad it was me." 

The burning feeling in his eyes became unbearable as a lump suddenly formed in L's throat that he couldn't seem to swallow. Carefully untangling his fingers from Light's, L reached out with his hand bringing it to Light's face, tentatively cupping the other's cheek in his palm while Light looked up in astonishment.

L shushed him, "Don't talk like that, Light. Help will be arriving soon. Just keep your heart beating." 

The words were so gentle coming from the normally insouciant man. Light leaned into the touch as it quickly became harder and harder to keep his eyes open. It was like a force pulling him away from the world.

Light managed a small curve of his mouth. "Hey...I'm sorry but I'm a little tired...could you let me rest? Just for a minute..."

He felt his father pick his head up from where it was resting against his. He felt more tears fall against his hand where it was joined with Matsuda's. He was distinctly aware of people calling his name as their voices seemed to travel further and further away as his ears became full of white noise. His entire body was numb. He couldn't even feel the pain anymore. He could still feel L's hand against his cheek. Through his blurred vision he could almost make out L's face. His jaw was clenched. His eyes were wide looking straight ahead into his own and...wait...was he crying?

L wasn't sure what triggered the sudden emotion as a single tear fell from the corner of his eye. He experienced somewhat similar feelings when he read that letter. The burning feeling, the lump in his throat, the painful twist in his heart...

_Is this...is this grief?_

Light took a shallow breath, turning into L's touch as warmth filled the boy's eyes.

"L...."

_...Thank you._

"Chief! The paramedics said the ambulance got stuck in the traffic due to the rain! They're on their way now!" Mogi exclaimed, his phone still held up to his ear. 

The chief looked at Mogi with wide tear filled eyes before looking back down to his son. "Do you hear that, son? They're almost here! Just hold on a little longer, Light. Light?"

Soichiro gave his son a gentle shake as he failed to respond. When Light remained unmoving, fear seized the old man's heart. Matsuda held Light's hand as tight as possible to try and gain a reaction. When he loosened his hold, Light's hand slipped from between the other man's, landing limp by his side causing Matsuda to freeze up in shock. 

_No...please....not like this..._

Matsuda continued to carefully shake Light whole holding onto his other hand in a desperate grip, calling out his name.

_Come back.._

L gasped like the air had been punched from his lungs when he found in that one split second that he looked away while Mogi was speaking, that Light's eyes had slipped shut. His hand that had been placed over L's resting against his cheek fell and L looked on shaking his head in disbelief.

He caressed the younger's face, hoping, willing, praying, pleading for Light to open his eyes. Light remained lifeless. 

Numbness settled into L's heart like waves against rocks. When Soichiro screamed out in agony, his dispair echoing off the walls of the building while Matsuda shouted Light's name over and over, L didn't notice the second tear fall from his eye as he slumped forward placing all of his weight on his knees. The chief cried out in an awful sound that would make a stone statue weep, clutching his son as tight as he possibly could. 

L's eyes remained staring at Light's lifeless face before he pitched forward. His head burrowed into Light's chest as he hid his face, gripping fistfuls of the boy's shirt in his bloodied palms as he tried to get even closer. 

He payed no mind to Aizawa and Ide as they came back inside the building before they stopped dead in their tracks after seeing what was happening in front of them. His head rested over Light's heart as his own clenched in pain while knowing the other's wouldn't beat in response. The detective's burning eyes spilled over onto the bloody fabric as he blocked out the world around them from anything that wasn't Light.

Then that's when he heard it. 

A cruel, mocking noise. 

A sinister evil sound of laughter coming from behind them.

.................

Light woke with a gasp, the oxygen flooding his lungs was overwhelming him instantly as breathing was suddenly easy again. Light coughed hard as if there had been hands around his throat. 

_What the hell happened?_

When he managed to control his breathing his hand quickly went up to his chest to touch the wound only to look down and see his clothes were completely different to what they were a second ago, and that there was no blood soaking the now black shirt he was wearing. Hooking his fingers underneath the v neck he pulled the material down to see that the wound was completely gone. There was no pain, no blood, not even a scar.

_What the hell is going on here?! Where am I?_

The place around him was deserted. Smoky grey skies stretched on for as far as he could see with no sun shining down on the bareness that was the land. After taking a step, Light looked down to see he was barefoot. The ground felt like sand dusted across concrete. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling. 

The stretch of land he found himself walking along was littered with scraps of metal and other kinds of junk. The feeling he got from being in a place like this wasn't a happy one. He felt like he was in the most miserable place in the universe. Did anyone else even live here? Where the hell was he?!

"Long time no see, huh?" 

The eerie voice startled Light so much he fell backwards with a yell, hitting the back of his head hard, making him groan as the wind was knocked out of him. 

The same voice chuckled, "No need to be so jumpy. It's not like we're meeting again for the first time." 

As he dusted himself off, Light's eyes lit up in recognition. He never thought he would ever be so relieved to hear that voice in his life.

"Ryuk."

The Shinigami cackled. Light heard the sound of wings flapping and before he knew it, Ryuk was right in front of him. 

"If you're this happy to see me, kid, maybe you hit your head harder than you thought. Hyuk." The Shinigami remarked.

Light looked around the place once again before asking, "Did you bring me here?"

Ryuk shrugged, "Given that you picked up my Death Note in the first place, I suppose you could say my actions lead you here. But, no. This is where all users of the Death Note in the human world come to after they die."

_So I really am dead._

"Well if I'm dead and you're here, then that means..." Light trailed off as Ryuk cackled again.

The Shinigami spread his arms out dramatically, "You got it, Lighto! This shithole right here is what I call home!" 

Light remained passive on the strange behaviour given he had spent months as the demon's unwilling roommate. Instead his eyes widened with wonder at the deserted place. Then he gasped in realisation.

"I've been here before." He said. Ryuk hummed in confusion. 

"In one of my nightmares. You were there too, of course at the time I had no idea who you were. We were standing in a place just like this."

Ryuk barked a laugh, "Hate to break it to ya, kid, but pretty much the entire realm looks like this." 

_And I can already see why Ryuk felt the need to drop the notebook into the human world._

"So what now?" Light asked.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, people who live in the Shinigami realm look more like me and Rem. You, however, still have your human body." Ryuk remarked while flying by Light's side. 

The boy's brow furrowed in confusion halting in his tracks. It didn't take long for Ryuk to notice. 

"I may have lied when I said I didn't bring you here specifically." The Shinigami groaned. His whining aside, the statement peaked Light's interest.

"Truth is, I was watching that whole scenario back there. I am still attached to blondie, after all. I knew already what was going to happen during that whole confrontation and I knew Kira would lose long before you did. So when you arrived here I made sure I would be here when you woke up." Ryuk explained while scratching his neck. 

"Why?"

Is it possible for Ryuk's smile to get any wider?

Light quirked an eyebrow when all Ryuk did was laugh.

"Because, kiddo, I wanted to make you an offer." 

Okay now Light was definitely interested. 

"Oh yeah? What kind of offer?" 

"Hyuk! What if I told you there was a way you could go back?"

"Go back?"

Ryuk nodded his head, "Uh huh. Now listen up. This offer isn't like the Shinigami eye deal where you can just change your mind on a whim. No, this one's much different."

Light tilted his head, "Different how exactly?" 

"I can only offer it once to a human who is already dead." 

_Well that's oddly specific..._

"Whether you accept it or not, you think you'd be willing to listen to me explain the in's and out's of the whole thing before you make your decision? You know how I feel about explaining things twice. Who knows, you might get to see your little friends again..." 

Light considered the Shinigami's words before nodding his head. Ryuk cackled before holding out his hand to Light.

"Alright. Well then, Light, come with me and I'll offer you one more deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The real story begins soon, and the crazy has only just taken off. I was really happy when I brought Ryuk back, I love that character so much and I love his and Light's "friendship" in the show. Ryuk has a big role in the rest of the story which don't worry theres still a long way left to go! Sorry for the delay again on posting this, I'm tryna get better at updating stories quicker but for those who have been patient, thank you so much!  
> Next chapter will be up soon, feel free to comment I love chatting with ya'll on here <3 bye for now :)


	5. No more dreaming.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when you make a deal with the devil?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there :)  
> So firstly, thank you for all the support from the last chapter you guys are all wonderful, I tried to reply to all.of you at once while simultaneously editing the next chapter but as you can see, I'm terrible at managing my time XD for everyone who commented and gave kudos to this story so far thank you so so so much! This is the most fun I've had writing on here and you guys really give me this motivation so it's all down to you. 
> 
> Important note, I was supposed to upload this a few days ago, however when I was editing I noticed how damn long this chapter was and though that it was just too much. So I've divided it into a two part chapter. Now the second part of this chapter with any luck will be posted in the next few days, I always like to leave a bit of time between chapters and make sure everything is up to the best of my ability. Also it's my birthday in a few days and I want to get it up just before then :)  
> Hope yall enjoy the chapter <3

Laughter. Cruel, sick and evil, mocking laughter. The twisted sound of malice was what broke through the devastation that filled the room as the seven men surrounded the lifeless boy. Tears ceased in shock as the chief's eyes were torn away from his son lying still in his arms. The old man choked on a gasp as he sighted where the sickening sound was coming from. 

He wasn't the first to notice the mist forming in the middle of the room. Aizawa, Ide, Mogi, even Misa were already looking on stunned to silence at the sight in front of them. 

The mist was pouring out of the ground and bleeding into the air, it was pitch black like heavy smoke and formed like tendrils that were twining around eachother. The dark mist twisted and spiraled around itself like a hurricane that grew bigger and bigger the louder the laughter became. 

Moments later while the taskforce could do no more than watch, a vision of red appeared within the mist in the form of two red glowing eyes flashing at them through the darkness like lightning through a storm. The laughter echoed around the room as if the voice could be either be above them or right behind them. Soichiro didn't dare turn away from the eyes striking through the growing mist in fear of what it would do if he so much as blinked and he held Light tighter to him protectively.

"Chief....what the hell is that thing?" Came the hushed voice of Matsuda, the fear he felt at what he was seeing drowning out his voice making the question come out barely above a whisper. Still holding Light's cold hands in a tight grip, the young former officer's head was raised following his comrades' line of sight to look upon the monstrosity forming in front of them. 

Down by their knees where L's head was resting against Lights chest, the detective's head had turned only slightly upon hearing the cruel sounds of mockery being directed at them but he still hadn't once lifted his head from where his ear was pressed directly over the other's heart. L's tear stained cheek rubbed against Light's blood stained shirt when the question asked by the younger detective caught his attention. 

At the chief's lack of response, whether it was from shock or an inability to answer, it told L all he needed to know. He didn't need to lift his head to be certain. The sound of the disturbing laughter had been burned into his mind enough for him to recognise what, or rather, who it was coming from immediately. 

But it couldn't, shouldn't be possible. His mind must be playing a trick on him. But he knew not very deep down at all that it was wishful thinking for him to be imagining this. He had already prayed for the worst not to be true and had been left disappointed, why would this he any different? 

The sound he had hoped to never hear again was drilling into his skull. His wet eyes narrowed as his jaw clenched in a quickly building anger. His hands gripped onto Light's shirt tightly, if he had any worry over the material tearing in his grip, it was soon glossed over by a feeling of intense hatred settling into his heart. L didn't need to look. He didn't even need to move. He spat the name out bitterly like it was poison. 

"Kira."  
..................

The endless plain of nothingness dragged on and on as Light followed Ryuk's lead. The Shinigami levitating beside him had remained suspiciously silent ever since Light had accepted his offer and began leading him away. At first, the normally loud Shinigami suddenly turning deathly silent was enough to set the teen on edge as he waited in his own silent anticipation for Ryuk to suddenly start speaking again. 

But after walking for what felt like hours along the empty path, Light's curiosity was quickly dissolving into boredom and annoyance. 

During the time they had been walking, Light took a moment to examine himself. The confusion he had initially felt at discovering the wounds to his hand and chest were gone completely only doubled at the discovery of the new clothes he found himself placed in. The long sleeved black shirt he was wearing was soft against his skin and far more loose fitting than anything he would choose to wear himself. The same couldn't be said about the tight fitting pants of the same colour. The clothes were far different than anything he would wear in his everyday life. But they weren't uncomfortable either. The style certainly seemed appropriate given where he was. The entire realm looked like how he had imagined the end of the world. It was like saddness and grief radiated out of the ground making the feeling of their presence inevitable.

There was a faint whistling sound in the air, yet Light couldn't feel any wind. The air reeked of death and the place was devoid of any warmth, but even so Light didn't feel cold. The realm reminded him of how he felt before he had died, physically lifeless yet plagued by a feeling of loss and saddness. 

As if to distract himself from his feelings, he finally broke the silence that had made him so antsy in the first place and spoke in an irritated voice,  
"Ryuk, where are we going? I swear to God, if you're keeping quiet just for a dramatic effect-" Light was cut off by Ryuk's resounding cackle.

"Always so impatient! I'm glad there's one thing about you that hasn't changed from when you were Kira. Hyuk." 

Light didn't comment on that. He kept his glare fixed on Ryuk and the Shinigami eventually glanced at him before sighing in resignation. 

"Relax, kiddo. I'm taking you to see the old man, that's all." 

Ryuk's words didn't make Light feel any better, instead making him blink in confusion. 

_Old man?_

Ryuk side eyed him, "What are you looking at me like that for? I'm sure I've told you about him at some point. He's the guy who kinda runs the place." Then the Shinigami scoffed before saying with laughter in his eerie voice, "I say 'kinda,' he's the one who is supposed to be in charge. But given the state this place is in, he hasn't had anything worthwhile to do in years. There's nothing here to really watch over or anything to do except for watch as the realm gets more and more rotten."

Light listened with a newfound interest, remembering Ryuk mentioning something about the one they called the 'Shinigami King' in the past "So, when you say you're taking me to the old man, you're talking about your leader?" It was unusual for Light to hear a God of death talking about someone in a higher place of power than even himself so casually. 

"Yeah. The only reason he's still our leader is because of his power. But he hasn't needed to use it in a really long time. He just kinda watches over us in case one of us decides to try and break the rules, like how parents scold their children in the human world. That's why we call him the old man. Not much of a King if he doesn't use his power. Over the years it's been getting easier and easier for a Shinigami to slip past him or bend the rules with him being none the wiser, which I guess you could say plays a big part in why you're here in the first place, Lighto." 

Light hummed in thought, "How do you mean?" 

"Well, how many Shinigami do you think go around carrying two Death Notes? I got my second one by bribing the old man. That's the one I dropped into the human realm." Ryuk shrugged.

The pieces began to click together in Light's head. The teen's brow furrowed in suspicion, "What did you bribe him with?"

Ryuk's grin widened and the look of clear amusement in his eyes made Light pause as he had a moment of realisation. He wasn't sure if he wanted to facepalm or break into laughter. Shaking his head skeptically, Light tried with everything he had not to smile, "Wait, don't tell me..." 

Ryuk did enough laughing for the both of them as he broke into hysterics, making Light fail in trying to hide his own amusement. As the Shinigami's loud cackles eventually died down he responded, "That's right, kid. Apples. Thirteen of them. What I wouldn't do for just one right now..."

Light chuckled at his tall demon companion's dramatics, "So that's all it takes to bribe a Shinigami, huh?" 

Ryuk was looking out into the distance, Light's question abruptly bringing him out of whatever apple related fantasy he appeared to be having. The demon shrugged before replying to the boy, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he's an idiot. He's dangerous when he tries to be. Realistically speaking, he's just as bored as the rest of us up here. I'm guessing he just wanted to see what would happen for himself if a Death note landed in the human world." 

That honestly gave Light even more questions than it did answers. He looked up at Ryuk skeptically.

"But if he's so unreliable, then why are we going to see him?"

"Well, seeing as he really has nothing better to do these days than watch us or the human realm, chances are he already knows you're here. Also, if you happen to agree to what I'm about to offer you, then we'll need his power in order to carry it out." Ryuk explained.

Light quickly began to grow irritated again at the reminder that he was still in the dark about whatever this deal was. Ryuk then stopped and landed on his feet. The sudden action nearly making Light trip before glaring at the Shinigami, who was now staring up as a cliff came into view ahead of them.

"So what do you say, Light? You still interested? You accept my offer and there's no turning back."

Was it just him or was Ryuk actually trying to talk him out of it? Why? Well, he'd come this far, there was no way he was turning back now. Not if there was even the smallest chance he could see everyone again. Even if it was just for a mere second, he would take any opportunity he could get if it meant he could see his father, see L again. Light nodded his head. 

He was caught off guard when Ryuk grabbed his wrist and pulled. Everything was a blur as he was hauled off his feet and before he knew it, he was on his back. The Shinigami's wings unfolded and stretched out to his sides. 

"Hyuk. Then hold on tight, kid." 

Unable to suppress the sound of surprise that left his mouth as Ryuk lifted off the ground, Light grabbed onto whatever he could and held on for dear life as the laughing Shinigami took off into the air.  
.................

There was a collective gasp that filled the room as L addressed the deceased killer, whose laughter has ceased as the space around them became more darkened by the mist casting a large shadow over them. The detective sat back on his knees, looking around as all light in the room was doused by growing darkness like the day had suddenly turned to night. There was no exit in sight, the area around them was clouded by black fog. 

How had this happened? Why did this happen? There was no doubt in L's mind about the identity of the monster hiding in the mist. His, no rather it's eyes were piercing red like he was looking death straight in the eye. 

But L wasn't afraid. 

He was just sorry.

Why did Kira have to come back while Light had been the one to lose his life? He didn't understand. How had they been separated? He was holding Light's body in his arms, how was this possible? Had it been possible for Kira to create his own body this whole time? Was this why the monster gave control back to Light before Matsuda fired his weapon? 

The detective's mind was racing a mile a minute as questions flooded his brain while his eyes stared empty into bloody irises. His head barely registered the people around him yelling as they opened fire at where the smoke appeared to be coming from. The numerous bullets that were shot, simply passed through the mist like they were shooting a ghost.

Was this all a part of Kira's plan to become a God? Whatever he was, he certainly wasnt human anymore, nor did he wear a human's body. Through the fog it was hard to see if the creature even had a body at all. He would've felt defeated if he'd had anymore hope left to give. He could almost sense the sadistic smile on the killer's face. And just like that, the bells were back again, chiming loudly in his ears.

_It's over._

L didn't know how but he knew there could only be one reason why he would show up here. Kira came back to finish what he started after all. Given who it was who created him, L found himself monumentally unsurprised at the turn of events. He should've known it wouldn't be possible to gloss over the other-worldly power that the Death Note had brought into this war. If he couldn't rely on his wits like he had tried so hard to do throughout his and Light's ongoing battle, then it only left defeat. Kira had won. L had lost.

And so had Light.

He would kill them all here and now and this time, L was powerless to stop him. 

"What do we do, Ryuzaki?" Soichiro asked, startling L in the process. 

There was no getting out of this. For the first time in his life, the great L was well and truly cornered. The war was over. Not only that, but every one of his soldiers would fall with him. There was nothing he could say to the older Yagami. How was he supposed to tell them all that they were about to die? 

L watched as Soichiro's expression of fear turned questioning before it eventually softened into one of sadness and tired resignation. L didn't need to speak, his expression must be communicating what he was thinking clear enough on it's own. But there was one thing he had to say.

"I'm sorry."

With his head now bowed low, L could still feel the eyes on him while being unable to face any of them. The chance they would all make it out of this alive was no longer in their favour. He overestimated himself. Or rather, he underestimated the enemy. When it came to solving cases, L was untouchable. When it came to the supernatural, he was only a human. He was arrogant to think his plan would work so easily. This was his fault.

The detective found himself startled a second time when a hand clasped his shoulder, forcing him to look up in surprise. Soichiro's eyes met his, while his gaze was firm they contained a softness to them that only a parent could give. 

"Do not apologise." 

L's eyes widened, words formed in his mouth only to die on his tongue when the chief spoke again.

"This was a choice. A choice we all made. We chose to work with you. It wasn't for us to know that what we were dealing with was way beyond what we could handle. I do not blame you for the loss of my son, neither do I blame you for whether or not we are to meet a similar fate."

L was stunned. He was unused to someone being able to read his thoughts so easily. Whenever Light had been able to tell what he was thinking, he was always left either annoyed, unnerved, or in some instances relieved. Each word that Soichiro said sounded exactly like something Light would say if he were able to hear them, L thought to himself before turning his attention back to the beautiful teen in his father's arms. The pain he felt in his chest came and went like a bleeding wound. As he stared at Light's peaceful face, his heart clenched harshly. Soichiro may not blame him for Light's death, but L certainly did. 

"Light fought Kira until the very end." 

As the words left Soichiro's mouth, the older man began to rise. He cradled his son's head in his hands as he rose before gently resting Light's head back against the ground. Now kneeling beside Light's body, Soichiro brushed the strands of hair out of his eyes before kissing his son's forehead. His hand that was resting on Light's chest clenched, twisting the fabric as his expression pinched into one of devastation. He took a deep shaking breath.

"I'm so sorry, my boy." 

The words held so much emotion, his voice barely above a whisper. But L heard them and as he glanced to his left, it appeared so did Matsuda. The chief rose to his feet, standing above the two younger men, who looked up at him curiously. 

"He fought him on his own for so long."

The chief eyed every man in the room while they all faced him in wonderment as they each tried to decipher in their own heads what their mentor was thinking. Even Misa was looking at him adamantly, her broken heart filling up with admiration as the chief spoke about her Light. 

"I propose now, that is what we all must do. We all knew that this could happen, that we could lose our lives to this case. If we have no hope of getting out of this, then we will stare death in the face." 

The rest of the taskforce remained unperturbed as the laughter behind them started up again. Ignoring the voice of the devil, the seven men all looked to eachother. 

"If this is our last stand, we will let Kira know that we are not afraid!" Soichiro declared as he stood before his comrades with fire in his eyes. 

The taskforce collectively froze, their looks of uncertainty and fear hardened, eyes turning steely as the same fire their chief was emitting burned in their hearts. Matsuda rose to his feet, standing by his mentor's side with a watery grin on his face. 

"Its just like Ryuzaki said. Justice will always prevail no matter what, right?" The young detective's voice was shaking even when the chief placed a supporting hand on his shoulder. 

L could feel the weight of their words heavily resting on his shoulders. While Soichiro was willing to give his life for justice even after the loss of his son, he still had a family, as did Aizawa. The latter was showing no less fire than the chief himself. He had made his choice, the hardest decision of his life, they had lost, but that didn't mean it was over. 

He gave Watari a knowing glance, silently conveying every thought he didn't have the resolve or bravery to speak aloud to the man who raised him. He had brought the lives of his men down with him, but at least that would be the last mistake he ever made. It wasn't over. It was never over. However small, there would always be people who opposed Kira and who were willing to fight against him. And that is why he would never win. L could die happy with that thought. 

The detective's eyes then turned to Light, looking so peaceful he may as well be sleeping. 

_Well, Light, it looks like we will meet again sooner than I thought._

L could've laughed at the irony of what was happening, thinking back to how they met and what it had lead to for them both. 

_It seems we will die together after all. Just like you said._

Kira cackled loudly, positively hysterical in response to Matsuda's words of hope. 

"Indeed it does, Mr Matsuda." 

With how long it had been laughing at them, L had been wondering if the creature actually knew how to speak. The monster's voice faintly replicated Light's only it was much deeper, almost a hollow version. There was so much darkness to everything this monster resembled. Kira was Light's darkness. Even if the resemblance was almost unnoticeable, the vague amount of Light that L could hear in Kira's words struck the detective. 

_It isn't over. It isn't over._

L repeated the words in his head over and over again. Once he was dead, it would only be a matter of time before Roger would receive word of his and Watari's passing to Kira and after that, it wouldn't be long before his successors were involved. He had absolute faith in them. Working together, they had the potential to see this through where he had failed. No matter the outcome, no matter which side every individual who walked the Earth fell on, Kira would never be justice. 

The mist swirling ahead of them began to shift. The red pair of eyes began to advance forward and like a portal, the blackness parted. 

Whatever their reactions were to what appeared before them next, L couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the advancing form as the flashing glow of crimson as the fog began to fade around them. 

In the middle of the dividing mist, a skeletal figure stood.

The face whom the demon's eyes belonged to was little more than a skull. The glare the killer was sending their way came from empty eye sockets, the flash of red in the middle of each one glowed like fireflies in the night. On top of the skull's head there was a mess of brown hair, the top being spiked as the bangs were held out of it's face by a strangely placed red scarf.

L's eyes traveled downwards past its stick thin neck to the creature's body. It's skeletal figure was for the most part covered. A longer sickly brown coloured scarf hung loosely around it's shoulders. It was wearing a grey coloured shirt that had a large tear over the chest, which was also layered by a large black blazer. The black continued down its legs, leading to a worn looking pair of pale black boots. As he looked the demon over, L couldn't help but notice how while for the most part its form resembled a skeleton, its hands were covered by a black skin, it's long fingers almost reaching down to its knees, stretching into large sharp claws that would rival any animal. 

Kira stood in front of every man in the room, tipping it's head to the side as if it were confused. It reached up with it's claws and scratched the back of it's neck before breathing out a heavy sigh through it's teeth. 

"You're right. In the end, justice will always come out on top." Kira stated like he was completely ignoring the stares of bewilderment and fear being aimed towards him. It was only from the shift in the small beams of red light the creature called it's eyes that L could tell Kira was looking at him. 

"But I wonder, L, now that my body has no limits, just whose brand justice will come out on top exactly?" 

As the killer stalked towards them, the mist followed him, clouding around his feet. Not one man in the room stepped back ad Kira kept on walking forward, each of them being too stunned to move. 

"My human host is dead, I am no longer attached to this rotten world. No, I have gone far beyond humanity. I am free." Kira spread his arms out wide with another dramatic sigh, "How can any of you possibly hope to stop me?" 

Soichiro was the first to break out of the trance the demon placed them all under with his presence. He stepped ahead of his comrades, standing directly in front of where his son lay. Each of the former officer's watched their leader with admiration. 

The chief's eyes were cold as he leveled the monster who murdered his son with his icy glare, "You won't win. We don't have to defeat you ourselves. Whether we live or we die today, humanity has the power to live for what is right. As long as there is one person out there who has the bravery to stand against you, you will never be justice." 

Kira's resounding cackle held as much venom as the chief's words. 

"I have nothing left to fear. With this new form, I am unbeatable. If humanity cannot see what is justice, then when you're gone it will be my duty to make them see. Every person who's name I write down has already made their choice." 

L could imagine how the demon would be smiling right now if he physically could before he spoke again. 

"And while I aim to be a benevolent God, I will give you a moment to make your own."

Aizawa snapped, "What are you saying?"

Kira shrugged his bony shoulders, "Choose. Join me...or die." 

Silence stretched over the room, Kira's words hitting them like a ton of bricks. L had been watching Kira with disinterest until this moment where he took in the expressions of the taskforce, already knowing what they would choose before stepping forward. He could feel all eyes on his back watching him tensely before he stopped by the chief's side. Soichiro glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before giving him a nod which L returned. 

The two men simply stood there, not saying a word before L turned to his left to see Matsuda was beside him too. One by one, just like he had predicted, they were joined by the rest. Mogi, Ide and Aizawa lined up next to their younger teammate, Mogi wrapping his arm around Matsuda's shoulder offering the comfort he failed to do before. L didn't need to look behind him to know Watari was there. The only slight surprise was when Misa appeared between himself and Matsuda. The surprise didn't come from her choice, but from her clinging to L's arm and resting her head against his shoulder. 

It was the wrong time to be embarrassed by sudden physical contact and even if he was uncomfortable, he wouldn't be so cruel as to reject it given their shared loss. Despite his opinion of her, she had chosen Light over Kira even though the one she had chosen was gone. He let her cling to him, huffing in annoyance as Kira set his sights on her, predicting what the monster was going to say next.

"So this is where your allegiance lies then? After all I've done for you..." he didn't sound upset about her change of heart in the slightest. 

His manipulation did appear to invoke a reaction from the second Kira however as L heard her hitching breaths. He remembered what Misa had told him during her confinement, her parents' deaths were avenged by Kira and her worship of him had dragged her into this damned life of murder and suffering. A life a young girl should never have chosen for herself in her right mind. Once blinded by worship and gratitude, Misa Amane was awake. 

"You were of no great importance to me anyway. The moment I killed L, I would've discarded you like you were nothing. You were no more than a burden to me, Misa. How could you think that I would ever love you?" 

The killer's cruel torment of the poor girl had the desired effect as she sobbed. Matsuda growled in rage at the sight of the heartbroken girl, who he had been tasked to look out for this whole time. 

"She made the right choice. You killed Light. You're not fooling anybody with this, it's obvious you're gonna kill all of us no matter what we choose!" Touta bellowed.

Kira blinked before laughing again.

"Not such an idiot after all, Matsuda." 

Eight standing against one, either side waited for the other to make a move. Kira sighed, black mist spilling from his mouth. 

"For what it's worth, believe me when I say I never wanted it to come to this, but it seems we've reached the end of the line."

L felt Misa hold on to his arm even tighter as she braced herself for what was to come. Watari's hand landed on his other shoulder giving a firm squeeze. The old man had never feared death, but he knew L did. Aizawa's hand clasped with Ide's as they stood shoulder to shoulder, while Matsuda placed his hand over the one Mogi was resting over his shoulder. Reaching out with his free hand, L grabbed on to Soichiro's arm and in response he heard the former chief let out a sigh of what L interpreted as relief. 

"It's time."

At Kira's words, L turned his head to look at Light one final time. He had hoped it would be Light's hand he was holding on to in the moment they were defeated. But all L could do now, was look at the last person, the last sight he would ever see in this life. 

_Wait for me, wherever you are. It seems that this time, I'm the one catching up with you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is part one of this two part chapter ;) stay tuned for part two in chapter six! As I said before, I want to get the next part up before my birthday in a few days so hopefully it's a much shorter wait than normal and I do mean hopefully. I also have exam week this week, so i dont know exactly what's gonna go down. 
> 
> Next chapter will tie up Kiras return, Ryuks deal and will really be a Light dominated chapter, i would've posted it all as one but I thought it was simply too long and thought it would be a bit more confusing and messy if I uploaded it as one big chapter. So I decided to do it this way. I also wanted to focus more on the other characters and their relationships with eachother and of course, leave you all on another cliffhanger :)  
> If you haven't already feel free to check out part one and two to this series, they are titled 'aren't we just terrified' and 'a letter from a God of death'  
> As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated if you like my story and hopefully I'll see yous in a few days <3 :)  
> Bye for now!!!


	6. Do we have a Deal?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuk takes Light to visit the King of the Shinigami,.where the deal is explained to the teen. Will he accept what Ryuk has to offer?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya :)  
> I'm seriously debating just skipping chapter summaries for the future, Im so bad at them! Anyway, hi everybody! I'm back with another chapter for yall!! Now, I'm gonna quickly explain myself as I'm so damn tired right now. This chapter is part 2 of chapter 5 that i ended up splitting as it began to get too complicated. However I meant to post chapter 5 and 6 in the same week, but i ended up doing an oopsie and it turns out the entire of chapter 6 and 7 got deleted....yeah....you can imagine my reaction to that. So I've spent the last few days rewriting them so they're good to go! For those following the story, thank you for being patient with this, its been a nightmare these last few weeks :) enjoy the chapter!!

Adrenaline was coursing through Light's veins, clutching to Ryuk's back as he was dragged through the air. His initial shock of being lifted off the ground quickly manifested into excitement as the Shinigami flew across the rotting realm. The God of death's home was unsightly, to say the least, but the fact that he was flying higher and higher made it impossible to suppress the wide grin that spread across his face as he looked down upon the ground below getting smaller and smaller. 

"Having fun yet, Kid?" Ryuk shouted, turning Light's attention away from what was below them. His responding laughter seemed to be enough to appease the Shinigami as he joined in. 

Light's eyes looked upwards as Ryuk went even higher until he caught sight of where they were headed. Amidst the murky skies, there was a white light peaking through, like the sun through the clouds. Despite his excitement, Light got a strange feeling in his nerves. Once they entered the white light ahead of them, was that where he would meet the Shinigami king?

"Alright, Light, this part can be a pain in the ass to get through. So whatever you do, hold on. If you fall off, I ain't coming back for ya! Hyuk!" 

Light internally prayed that his demon companion wasn't serious at that last remark. He couldn't really strangle the Shinigami, so Light took that as an excuse to hold on as tight as he was physically able to and closed his eyes as they advanced towards the light filled tunnel and waited for it to all be over. 

When Light's eyes opened again, he found that his vision was slightly blurred, but when he looked around he could see Ryuk had landed them both. An overwhelming feeling of dizziness caused him to drop his head back against the Shinigami's shoulder as he waited for it to pass. Ryuk didn't seem to be in any hurry to go anywhere anyway. 

"Do you guys do that often?" Light mumbled, wincing when Ryuk's shoulders shook as he laughed. 

"Nah, not really. Honestly, most of us make it our mission to avoid the old man as much as possible, so it's rare that Shinigami pass through here." 

Light grumbled, "Ah, I see." So that's why Ryuk wasn't in a rush.

After a few more minutes of silence, the lightheadedness went away and Light patted the Shinigami's shoulder, signaling for him to let him down. When Ryuk's wings disappeared, Light slid down his back until his feet made contact with the ground. 

"So, what did you think of your first flight?" Ryuk broke the silence. 

Light stood by his side without making eye contact. He contemplated the question with amusement. If he were anyone else, he probably would've responded with something along the lines of "fucking awesome." But being the way he was, he replied with a snicker, "Well, you've officially ruined any other form of transport for me for the rest of my life." 

Much to his surprise, Ryuk didn't laugh in response. In fact, he didn't say anything at all. The Shinigami's expression seemed strange, like he was trying to figure something out. It didn't help Light's nerves settle down as he waited with anticipation. 

"So where are we headed?" He asked, hoping to receive a response this time. 

"We're already here." 

The serious tone in the normally jovial Shinigami caught Light off guard. The tall smiling demon had been accompanying him for months and never once had he heard Ryuk's voice sound like that. 

"Then....where is he?" Light asked, a little more hesitantly this time. 

"He's here. Just wait."

So he did. Light instinctively stepped closer to Ryuk's side while taking in the unfamiliar surroundings he had been brought to on the other side of the passageway. The air up here was even thicker than before and the place was so silent Light didn't let his guard down for a second. 

Then he heard a sound breaking through the silence coming from above them. The fog clouding the murky sky began to shift and fade as he heard the sound repeat itself. A deep but gentle noise, like rolling thunder. It sounded like a voice. It's deep rumbling chuckle unnerved the teen, when he went to stand even closer to Ryuk he was surprised when the Shinigami didn't laugh at his anxiety. In fact, Ryuk didn't seem to be paying attention to him at all. Light felt a wave of concern for his companion's sudden demeanor and what it meant was coming. 

The deep laugh rumbled again until the white mist hiding the voice faded completely. What remained in it's wake left Light gaping.

"Welcome back, Ryuk." Said the Shinigami King. 

What Light was seeing certainly wasn't a person. Hell, it didn't even look like a Shinigami! But Light knew just by looking at it that this was who Ryuk had brought him to see. 

His large globe like body mass was completely suspended in the air with nothing but chains to hold him. His skull head was recessed within a larger outer skull formation, but the two beams of light that undoubtedly resembled the creature's eyes remained flashing through the smaller of the two. Four arms hung from his colossal body, each hand possessing three claws that were as long as his head. 

This was the King of the Shinigami. 

Ryuk scoffed, "How's it goin, Old man? It's been a while."

Light glanced back and forth between the two of them in disbelief as the Shinigami addressed the one he called king as if he were greeting an old acquaintance. 

"I already knew you were coming. Armonia already told me of your return to the human world and I knew it wouldn't be long before you came back." There was an unmistakable tone of boredom in the giant reaper's voice. 

"Well then, that saves me alot of explaining on my part. You know why I'm here." It wasn't a question. Even Ryuk sounded like he wanted this to be over with.

The colossal mass shook as the king laughed, "Yes, I know. Which means the child currently clinging to you must be our guest." A minimum of interest laced his tone before Light realised he was the one being addressed.

Finally Ryuk looked down at him while Light stared at him imploringly. "Nothing gets past you, huh? Yeah, this is the kid I was telling you about." As Ryuk stepped to the side, Light suddenly found himself in full view of the Shinigami King.

"Light, meet Old man." Ryuk gestured up to the King then back down to Light. "Old man, this is Light. He's the one who picked up my Death Note." 

"Ah, yes, the interesting one. I've been watching you for some time. It would appear you've made quite a name for yourself amongst humans, young one. Tell me, would you prefer it if I called you Kira?" 

Light's eyes widened in shock, the disgust he felt at the very idea making him feel physically sick. "No. I wouldn't." He replied shortly, his voice shaking with a number of emotions.

"Very well, it makes no difference to me either way. Ryuk, you are aware of the consequences this deal will have?" 

"I wouldn't have offered in the first place if I wasn't." Ryuk sniped in return.

"Have you made the human aware of them as well?"

"No." Light answered for him.

The king hummed in contemplation, though he sounded amused,  
"I see. Ryuk, if you haven't already explained the deal to the boy, then why have you brought him to me now? He may choose not to accept your generous offer after all and then what?" Now he sounded bored again. 

Ryuk cackled, harshly ruffling the boy's hair and making Light yelp in surprise before glaring up at his companion.

"Well, now that you mention it, I decided that whether Lighto chooses to accept the deal or not, by introducing you to the human who tried to change the world singlehandedly, I found that too good of an opportunity to miss." 

The king remained silent for a moment while Light tried to figure out what emotion was being displayed on his skeletal face. 

"Hmm, is that so? I find myself in a bewilderment, Ryuk. Though I suppose given your present company, I should have expected this. I must say, it has been a long time since I have been surprised like this." The colossal reaper cackled.

The harsh laughter quickly died down, "Come closer, boy. I won't bite." The king was clearly enjoying himself making Light feel even more cautious.

Without turning back to look at Ryuk for assurance, Light stepped forward towards the giant Shinigami, feeling completely exposed as he could practically feel the king's eyes looking him up and down. He stopped after a few paces and looked up finding he was standing directly under the creature's open mouth.

"As I have already said, I have been watching over you for some time now, Light Yagami." His voice was much louder now. Light could imagine the smirk that would undoubtedly be appearing on the old Shinigami's face if he physically could.

"You are quite the impressive human." 

Light frowned, "Forgive me for saying this, but I think you're mistaken. The person who you observed using the Death Note, the person who killed all those people, that was Kira. Up until a few days ago I didn't even have any memory of the Death Note or believe myself capable of murder. I'm just the person that existed without the notebook." He explained.

"That wasn't what I was referring to."

The declaration caught Light off guard as he stared up at the King in confusion.

"It's true that Kira fulfilled the true purpose of the Death Note. The tool of the Shinigami was made to take life away, Kira used it to it's full potential. From what I saw, he would make a worthy Shinigami, as would you for that matter." Light chose not to respond to that. "But I was actually referring to the situation itself that you've managed to create, young one."

Upon seeing the human before him quirk his brow in a silent question, the old reaper explained. 

"To have two separate souls residing within you. To have been able to create two completely different entities, whether or not it was intentional, is quite an impressive achievement." The King stated passive aggressively as if surprised that Light didn't realise. The structure above them rumbled as the King shook with laughter as the boy's eyes widened in realisation.

"It's certainly a new one for us, Kid. Can't say I've ever seen anything like this in all my years. When Kira forfeited ownership of the Death Note, another personality took his place, one that still remained after his memories returned. Your body may have died as Light Yagami, but the entity that goes by the name of Kira still resided within you when you passed." 

_So you're just hiding now, huh?_

Light's frown deepened as he glared up at the old man,"So now that I'm dead, you're saying that I'm stuck fighting this other person inside my body, until what exactly? What even am I now?" 

He was still human, at least that's how he appeared to himself. He was in the land of nothingness but he bared no resemblance to the other inhabitants of Mu. He couldn't have a life anymore as he was already dead. Did this mean all he could do was wait for Kira to take back control again? All it would take is for him to get his hands on a Death Note and then....

There was no end to it now. He couldn't die, which meant all that was left was to wait for Kira to return. Was this why Kira gave up control in the first place? It was more than strange to think about another part of himself as a completely different person, a personality so separate from his own. If he was now bound to the same rules as the Shinigami despite not looking like one of them, Light wasn't sure if he could even return to the human world, with or without a notebook. And if so, then what? Was he just supposed to wait until his life span ran out in the Shinigami realm for Kira to appear and start the nightmare all over again? What the Hell could he do?! 

The giant reaper above him brought him out of his head before he became suffocated by his own thoughts. 

"What you are now, depends entirely on whether or not you accept the deal." He stated.

Light growled impatiently, "And this deal consists of what exactly? It's the entire reason why I was brought here in the first place and I still don't know anything about what it is you are offering." His voice raised higher than he'd meant to, but he couldn't wait any longer.

The King was silent for all of a minute and Light cringed at the feeling that he may have crossed a line by raising his voice or offended him. But the teen found himself surprised when the stone structures around them began to shake with the Shinigami's laughter once again. 

"It's been a while since anyone has dared raise their voice to me." He said once the chuckles ceased. 

The reaper continued, "I can see why you like the kid, Ryuk. He has...what's the word? Courage? Determination? A severe lack of patience? It's....amusing." 

Light wasn't sure whether or not that was a compliment. Nevertheless, he stayed quiet. 

"You will need to improve on that front if that's the case, boy, because there's alot to explain to you about this deal, and I speak for Ryuk and myself when I say we Shinigami hate having to explain something more than once. Do you understand?" 

His tone left no room for argument and Light merely nodded his head in response. 

"Well, Ryuk, proceed." He addressed the other Shinigami, who had been surprisingly quiet up until now.

"You got it, old man." Ryuk remarked.

Light turned to face his companion as Ryuk came closer to him in turn. 

"You listening, Kid? Coz it's like he said, I'm only gonna explain this once. You miss something, not my problem." Ryuk shrugged his shoulders. Light nodded again, this time with more enthusiasm as he waited with anticipation.

Ryuk cackled, "Alrighty then. In that case, let me tell you all about it. I'll be the first to say that this deal doesn't really have a name for it like the eye deal does. That's because, Lighto, you are the first human to be offered this kind of a deal. You are the only human to ever use the Death Note in the way in which you did and lead to this kind of a situation. " The Shinigami paused scratching the back of his neck, almost like he was embarrassed or ashamed. "It wasn't until that idiot put a bullet in you that I actually remembered this deal. It's something only a handful of us know about up here and you'll understand why sooner or later."

Light made sure to listen to every word intently, "So, what do I have to do?"

"Do you remember the day we first met? How I told you that one day I'd be the one writing your name in my notebook. That's the unspoken deal, between the Shinigami who owned the Death Note previously and the first human to pick it up. You asked me that day, if I had come to take your soul." 

Light recounted the memory in his head, backing up slightly, already wary about where this was going.

"So you do remember? Well, kid, that is your part of the deal right there." 

Light's eyes widened in horror as he failed to hold in a gasp.

"H-Hang on, Ryuk. You're saying I have to give up my soul for this?"

Ryuk groaned in response, "I don't know what's so scary about that, it's not like you don't have a spare." He said nonchalantly. Light froze. 

_Wait...what?!_

"So...you're saying.."

"I'm saying," Ryuk interrupted, "That whether it's one or the other, you owe me a soul, Light. I don't care which one. You give me yours, then you'll wake up as another Shinigami like the rest of the walking dead in this realm. All memory of your previous life will be erased. You'll be just like us."

The teen still appeared frozen, his mind raced a mile a second as he tried to process what the demon before him had just told him. The words mixed up in his head as he failed to comprehend the information.

_To erase all memory I have of who I was, who I remember being, to wipe away the memory of everyone I've killed, is strangely tempting. But it's far from what I deserve. I shouldn't allowed to get off the hook that easily. I may be dead, but I can't forget. If I went along with that, then all of them, every person who Kira murdered, would've died for nothing._

"But...personally for a human like you, I'd see that as a bit of a waste." Ryuk stated, snapping said human out of his trance.

"And, if I decide to give you Kira's soul?" The boy asked.

Ryuk's grin stretched even further, "That's where the deal comes in, kiddo." 

Light unconsciously stepped forward barely able to conceal his curiosity.

"When you died, you were the one in control. If you give Kira's soul to me, then I would guess that he would be the one to obtain the body of a Shinigami. Every lost soul must have a body, kid and that's all we are. That's why we look like this." He gestured to himself. "The Shinigami never had a choice like you do, Light. They didn't have spare souls to go giving away on a whim." 

Light's brow furrowed, "And what would happen to my soul and body when I give Kira's soul to you?" 

Ryuk shrugged again, "The old man would probably explain that one better for ya. But separating a soul from the body is a procedure that requires alot of power and energy. I can imagine with a second soul in the mix, this could get even messier. That's why I brought you here. He's the only one who can pull it off." He nodded towards the giant Shinigami ahead. 

"Fact is, we haven't needed to use power like this in a long time. So as you can imagine, we're a little rusty." 

Light spun around to face Ryuk upon hearing those words. "The Shinigami have other powers besides their eyes?" He asked. 

"Uh huh. Excluding the power of the Death Note and the power of a Shinigami's eyes, we have several abilities that each of us are reborn with." Ryuk affirmed.

"Like what?" Light asked. The teen instantly regretted asking that question as Ryuk just stared at him. 

Before he had the chance to say anything else, Light suddenly looked down to find his feet were no longer touching the ground. Unable to hold a yelp of surprise, Light tried moving around to try and get down, only to find his body was frozen levitating in the air. Looking down as he heard loud cackles beneath him, Light saw Ryuk several feet below him with his hand outstretched in Light's direction. The Shinigami's eyes were pools of glowing red light as he kept his long skeletal arm stretched out towards him. 

It wasn't until Light noticed Ryuk's hand that he stopped struggling. 

_Is he doing that with his mind?_

As if to answer his question, Ryuk's hand began to slowly lower down and Light began to descend in time with it's movement. As he returned to the ground he couldn't help but wonder why in all of their months with Ryuk by his side constantly, he had never shown Light this power. 

_What would he need to use it for?_ Light dreaded to ask. 

"We do have the ability to move things with our minds. If you're wondering why I never told you or used it around you, it's because it's draining. Shinigami don't do much work these days so we're more than a little out of practice with this power. Even now, all I did was lift you a few feet off the ground and I'm exhausted. That's why it's only used in specific circumstances." He explained. 

Light hummed as he pondered over his companion's words, reaching up with one hand he brushed his bangs out of his face while avoiding eye contact with the Shinigami. 

"So, in what instance would you use this power?" He asked, seemingly giving up on figuring that out himself. 

Ryuk seemed to ponder the question himself for a moment before pointing at Light, "Consider this. Say a human picks up the Death Note when a Shinigami drops it. The human is already aware that by using the notebook, their sould belongs to the Shinigami after they die. Now, say a person wrote someone's name in the notebook and labelled the cause as 'Accidental death' the person then changes their mind and tries to save the person whose name they wrote down by warning them or putting them in a situation where the cause of death of that person is physically impossible. What would the Shinigami do if they saw someone trying to break the rules of the Death Note?" 

Light's eyes lit up, "They would use that power to ensure the death actually takes place in the way it was written!" 

Ryuk hummed in agreement, "That's one way of doing it. It's the faster way out of the two. The second way is just to let them die of a heart attack when the forty seconds is up. That's the way we usually deal with things anyway. If we were feeling particularly greedy, we would sometimes kill the human who owned the notebook for trying to break the rules. One cannot change what's been written in the Death Note."

Light cringed at the thought of any poor idiot who suffered their fate like that. Trying to save someone wasn't a reasonable means to kill them in return. But he supposed by that conclusion, he was still thinking too much like a human. 

"We also wield scythes, or at least we did." 

The revelation didn't surprise Light much, it was the chosen weapon for the Grim Reaper after all. Another aspect of the Shinigami's power that he had never seen Ryuk wield. 

"Many millenia ago they were a weapon used for war. Given where we've landed in the long run, you can see they didn't get us very far. They were also used to separate a human's soul from their body after they died. Yeah, it's been a damn long time since any of us have felt the need to use these abilities. These days, most of our power that we demonstrate is through the Death Note, it preserves our energy at least."

Light felt a growing sense of unease, "Would Kira obtain all of what you just said if he became like of you? And what would happen to me? Would I just be trapped in my body in the human world? Will I die the same way any human would?"

"Calm down, Light Yagami." The deep voice behind him interrupted bringing Light's rambling to a halt. He gazed up at the King questionably.

The old Shinigami's body shook, making even more stone chip from the structures his chains were bound to and drop to the ground.

"It was already established that Light Yagami is the one in control, thus it's up to you to make the decision regarding which sould you trade. If you give up your own soul, you will become one of us. You will have the body and the power only without the memories. Consider it a fresh start if you will." He explained with a less than interested tone of voice. 

"However," He continued, "With your soul remaining dominant over Kira's, by trading his soul would most likely create an even split. As Ryuk says, every lost soul needs a body. Kira would resemble the form of a Shinigami. While you, on the other hand, would obtain a much more... preferable side of the deal." 

Light noticed the hesitancy in the king's voice upon that particular word, "Preferable how?" He asked, his voice low. 

He could practically feel the Shinigami King was smirking behind that skull he called a face.

"Well, for starters, you would still have your human body, but with the even split, I can imagine the powers that the Shinigami are reborn with would still be passed along to you as well as Kira." The King was practically purring by the end of his sentence while Light's eyes shot open to the size of plates. 

_I...would have the power of a God of Death? Is that what he's telling me?_

"Of course, that's just a theory, though from my point of view I'd say it's very likely one." He couldn't have sounded more disinterested for such a big statement while Light looked on in disbelief. 

_Just a theory, huh? It's pretty big risk. No, scratch that, it's a massive risk. The idea was so illogical, with no clear outcome in mind if I chose to accept. Either I spent the rest of my life walking among the Gods of death, or I die. But what if I can become a Shinigami without sacrificing my body? The old man seems to have his bets placed on that. If I separate Kira's soul from my body, would I really be able to wield the power of a Shinigami? The eyes, the wings, the ability to move things with my mind. Would I be bound the the rules the way all Shinigami are?_

"So, Light?" Ryuk's voice brought Light's attention back to his companion. During the time Light had been lost inside his own head, the God of Death had come much closer to the point that when he turned they were only inches apart. The smiling demon leaned down closer to Light.

"Which will it be? Your soul, or Kira's?" 

The human's eyes wandered down to the ground as his expression became crestfallen. "You knew there was no way I couldn't accept the deal, all you wanted from me was a soul. The only choice I'm given is which one I trade to you." He remarked feeling completely stupid for not realising it sooner. 

Ryuk stilled for a moment before shrugging, "I'm sorry, Light. It's just what I gotta do." His answer was punctuated as he patted his shoulder in what Light almost mistook for sympathy. He thought about bitterly shrugging the hand off but instead took a step away from the Shinigami, bringing a hand to his forehead as he quickly became lost in thought.

There was a long silence as Ryuk waited with a shocking amount of patience as he watched the young man's perfect features crease with how hard he was thinking. After several long moments of waiting, he saw Light's posture slacken with his face smoothing out again, confirming to the God of Death that he had made his decision.

"Well?" 

The silence ensued for while, Light's hair covered his face blocking his eyes from view. When he finally picked his head up, his stare was hard though the look of underlying determination was unmistakable.

"Let's do it." Light said, his voice deepened.

"Ryuk, I hereby forfeit Kira's soul to you." 

The cave erupted with the Shinigami's delighted cackles.

"Well, Old Man!" Ryuk yelled clutching his abdomen like it hurt from his laughter "You heard the kid!"

The King himself seemed pleased with the decision as he didn't question it. He beckoned Light closer as his eyes began to glow inside the smaller of the two skulls. Light didn't hesitate to step forward.

Do not be afraid. There's no going back now. This is the only way to ensure he never takes control again. I have to do this. No matter the outcome, I won't let him win a second time.

"As you wish, Light Yagami." 

The King's front left arm reached out with it's clawed hand towards Light's face. Once the hand covered his eyes, the entire world around him ceased to exist. 

.............

Pain. It was all consuming. It was tearing his body apart, burning him alive. His chest felt like something was being torn from within him. Something rooted deep within. 

There was red. It was everywhere.

He couldn't see a damn thing. The space around him was fogged with a red mist like the clouds were filled with blood. 

The burning sensation thrummed in his veins, licking every nerve and vein making him feel like his body was on fire, like acid was being injected into his skin. 

_It hurts! It hurts! Make it stop! It's killing me!_

_"You've been asleep for a long time."_

The voice came from within the mist, where a black fog began to bleed into the red like watercolour. It wasn't long after that the mist began to clear, revealing the source of the second voice. 

A tall skeletal figure emerged from within the black mist, standing a similar height to Light himself. The blazer and scarf covered his body though the sleeves weren't long enough to hide the long sharp claws on the end of each of his bony fingers. There was a mess of brown spiked hair on top of the skull like head that was pulled back by a greying red head scarf. The creature's red eyes confirmed the being as a Shinigami, but Light didn't need it to speak to know who's voice he was hearing.

Who else would he be able to see or hear inside his own unconscious mind speaking directly to him? 

"It's you." Light addressed the monster before he began to smile. The deal had worked. The new body suited the personality of the sould who inhabited it. 

"Kira."

_"It's like I said before, partner. Our time together has come to an end. You sold my soul and damned me to this hideous form. Yet still, you remain in my human body that lies dead in the human world."_

Light didn't let the words get to him as he remained standing off against his other half. 

"You won't win against humanity, and do you know why? Because they possess a power far greater than you or I. You are right. I have slept for a long time. I let you control me, use my body and mind to achieve your selfish goals. But no longer. You forget I was in control in the end, and I refuse to let you take that from me again."

The creature remained unmoving filling Light with a sense of pride as he refused to show fear towards his enemy. As he spoke he noticed the red mist around them intensified, swirling around the blackness. When he looked around to see what was causing it, he was left stunned to see the mist was forming and emerging from his own hands. The crimson fog only grew thicker with every word. 

_Is this fog reacting to my anger?_

It was as Light examined the redness coming out of his palms that in his moment of distraction, the blackness erupted around them like a shadow as Kira let out an ear piercing screech. Light was forced backwards from the force of the dark mist. Landing hard on his back, Light instantly tried standing up again only to be forced back down as Kira leapt at him. Light fought against the demon's weight as the two snarled at eachother. The struggles suddenly ceased when the large claws the creature possessed were pressed against Light's throat. 

_"It doesn't matter. Whether I possess this body or any other, I will always win against you. I plan on finishing what I started, with or without you."_

Light pushed against the monster in defiance as he thick fog around them began to shift. 

Kira's face hovered inches above his own as the claws pressed down harder.

_"This is how it always has been between us, partner. This is how it always will be. No matter how much power you bargain for, in the end you will always be beneath me. I am a God. I will have my place at the top, passing judgement on the scum of the Earth, anyone who tries to stop me is no less scum than the criminals I erase. You will never win against me!"_

Under the bony hand against his neck, Light felt it begin to choke him.

_"You're weak! You're an insect made to be crushed! You are nothing against me!"_

Light felt each word fly straight over his head as he fought to get the damn creature off him.

_I'm not afraid of you._

The words were his mantra, repeating them over and over again until suddenly the weight on his body was lifted. Light gasped as he sat up, looking around to see the fog around him was lifted and Kira nowhere to be seen. 

Ahead of him, he saw what looked like an opening. Against his better judgement, he walked towards it until the blackness clouding the fogged portal like entrance cleared revealing the other side. 

Light's breaths froze at the image the darkness revealed. 

The gateway to the human world showed him to the same place he had died what felt like hours before. The parking garage of the task force headquarters was filling with the same black mist blocking his vision moments ago. Each member of the taskforce was looking towards it until they in turn opened fire at the smoke. 

_"Chief....what the hell is that thing?"_

Light felt his heart stop at the sound of Matsuda's voice as he remembered his last moments with his childhood friend. That felt like they happened much longer ago than the few minutes his soul had wandered the Shinigami realm. 

Eyes looking over everyone within the room, Light's wondering gaze stopped when his sights set on L currently resting his head against his unmoving chest like he was trying to hide his face from everyone else. The beautiful young man became filled with sadness at the sight of the detective's grief, followed by a feeling of guilt that he never imagined L would really grieve his death at all if he was so sure he was the cold blooded killer he was accused of being for so long leading up to this point.

Watching on as L lifted his head, Light froze when he heard his friend hiss the name he feared the most.

_"Kira."_

Light felt the panic rising within him.

_No..._

He heard his father asking what they should do as Aizawa, Ide and Mogi continued firing at the growing darkness as a crazed laughter began to join in with the mist.

_"Light fought Kira until the very end."_

"Dad..."

_"I propose now, that is what we all must do."_

At his father's words, Light was filled with as much admiration as every other man standing in that room. The epitome of a leader. One of many reasons why Light looked up to him so much. 

_"If this is the last stand, we will let Kira know we are not afraid!"_

_Dad! Don't give up to him! Don't let him win!_

Then Light saw him appear from within the blackness. It had happened. He was real! Kira!

_Don't touch them!_

Light screamed into the void separating him from his body. 

_Wake up! Wake up, damn it!_

_"My human host is dead. I am no longer attached to this rotten world. I have gone far beyond humanity. I am free."_

Anger flooded Light's body, burning him from the inside out like a white hot branding iron. What the hell was this feeling? This raw overwhelming feeling of energy deep within his heart and soul. He felt like he could tear a building to the ground with how much power hummed under bus skin. The sensation became even more intense as he felt his rage continue to grow as Kira talked above the bravest group of people Light had ever known.

_"How could you possibly hope to stop me?"_

He was mocking them, trying to reduce them to nothing before he killed them. He wanted them to be afraid.

_You lay a hand on a single one of them I'll rip you to pieces._

One by one, they joined together standing against the monster who held their lives hostage.

_"It's time."_

_Wake up!_

Light watched as L turned his head to look at his lifeless body, away from the killer before him. His chest twisted painfully as he felt L looking right at him, causing his rage to deter.

_It's time._

Breathing deeply, Light's eyes slipped shut. A gentle wind caressed his skin as he felt it in his hair, causing the strands to dance. When the breeze passed, Light felt his hair fall gently back into place, only the strands were far longer than before. The light brown hair now flowed down his back ending at his hips. He payed no mind to the changes happening to his body as his body remained suspended in nothingness. 

He heard a final voice enter his now peaceful mind as he tried to concentrate. The deep eerie voice of this Shinigami king whispering in his ear.

_"Always be ruthless."_

_It's time._

Light's eyes opened revealing dark red irises in place of the gentle brown they'd always been. 

_Now wake up._  
..............

The taskforce were forced backwards to escape the impact as a blast of what looked like a red mist shot straight past their heads. The former police officers covered their heads from the sudden attack as they were forced away from eachother. 

The animalistic screech of pain caught their attention as the red energy made contact with Kira's body, the force of the power sending him flying backwards, hitting the wall before landing on the ground. 

After the unexpected attack from behind them, L had instinctively moved Watari out of the way. He was on his knees panting for breath until he heard the sound of agony coming from the Shinigami, who was now on a heap on the ground. 

_What in the hell was that?_

L watched the Shinigami curiously as it picked itself up off the ground with a groan until without turning around to face them, Kira spoke.

"Awake at last, Light?" 

At the mention of the boys name, L's eyes instantly went to where Light was lying. The detective's heart was in his throat when he saw Light's body was no longer there.

There was a man standing in the same place Light had been lying a second ago. The body figure was definitely that of a Male, with long light brown hair flowing down his back, dressed in black from head to tow with his back facing them as the task force followed L's gaze, matching his expression of shock. 

_Is that...no. It couldn't possibly be... It's not possible... Light..._

Everybody flinched, startled as the strange figure spoke.

"Yeah."

Then he turned to look over his shoulder, showing his face to the taskforce. His face was still the same, though it was still terrifying to look at as the look on his face was one twisted into pure rage like a rabid wolf that had just spotted its prey. The bright red eyes of a Shinigami flashed at the creature with hatred. He looked so human, yet so extraordinarily not.

Light's next words were spoken through clenched teeth through the growls that erupted from his throat.

"Now will you shut the hell up!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...Lights back...and he's hella pissed off! 
> 
> Side note: if you're like what the hell about the telekinetic powers I wrote in there as something all Shinigami have, that was a reference to death note 2017 where Ryuk destroyed the ferris wheel, that's also the only refrence from that trash I'm putting in here :) I just like the idea of Shinigami having some kind of power like that 
> 
> For anyone confused by that last part, kira has a Shinigami's body, Light still has a human body. That was part of the deal.  
> I've been waiting ages to get this chapter done because I was just really excited to finally reveal my big idea for this story. I saw a lot of Shinigami Light fics and when I came up with this idea it turned into a full ass story that then turned into a full as series! I'm currently debating on whether to start working on this little side project on this series, its gonna be a story centred around Light before the death note, I've created a few characters for that story who will appear in this one, I'm still working out how I'd want that to go but if you'd like to see that then please let me know!  
> As always feel free to come and talk in the comments, its always appreciated <3 see you soon!!


	7. The Red Reaper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light vs Kira.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya!!!  
> Now please don't throw things at me, I know I've been gone for a while. I haven't updated this since before Christmas though it's not like I didn't want to. Trust me, I've been waiting to upload this for ages but not long before Christmas alot of personal things have happened at home and since being back in lockdown pressure to get work done is bigger than ever. I just needed a break to get all of that boring stuff out of the way so I can actually focus on something I want to do. I've just been really exhausted all the time and I just didn't have the concentration to continue writing. I finally finished a story for a different franchise that I was working on since summer so if you want to go and check that out then go ahead! :) but aside from making minor edits to other works, if I look at a screen for more than a bit I start getting a headache or I get way too tired to focus on anything. I finally get a break next week but right now I just wanted to finally post this chapter.
> 
> As I said in the last chapter, there was an issue with my laptop and it caused both chapters 6 and 7 to he wiped out so I had to rewrite them both which I gotta tell ya, it ain't fun, especially if you were so happy with the way the original chapter turned out and then you're trying to remember every little thing wrote down XD it's not a Gucci time I'll say that. Anyways here is chapter 7 of the story, I am really happy right now with how this story is turning out and I've been trying to get this out for weeks :) enjoy the chapter <3

_Power... I can feel it. It's everywhere..._

_The pain was unbearable before, so much so that I couldn't even understand what was happening to my body. I longed for the sweet darkness to come and relieve me of the agony. It felt like I was being submerged in fire, sawn in half, ripped apart limb by limb. But still I couldn't move my body while it felt as though my insides were twisting and tearing within me. My body was dead. The fire came from inside, and it only continued to spread._

_Beneath the burning peaking in my chest I felt my pulse behind the raging heat and realised my heart had begun to beat. Only now I wish that it hadn't. I still couldn't feel or move my arms to clutch at my burning heart, or tear it from my body. Or do anything to make the pain end._

_I remembered breaking my leg when I was twelve when I fell out of a tree. That felt like nothing compared to this. I remembered the migraines I suffered when I injured my head in a car accident two years ago. Right now, I'd take them a thousand times over and be grateful. I remembered being shot in the chest by my childhood best friend. I would relive that pain in a heartbeat if only to make this torture stop._

_No deal was worth this. Nothing was worth this torture. In that moment I wanted to go back, to call out for Ryuk to kill me and be done with it. This wasnt worth living for. I wasn't worthy of a second chance after everything I'd done. Then again, with that thought, maybe the pain wasn't enough to suffer._

_I couldn't tell how long I was trapped in that infinite moment of agony before time began to make it's presence known once again. The burning depleted rapidly into a blissful cool. The pain that paralyzed my body faded away and I could feel control of my body coming back to me._

_I counted my low, uneven breaths as air filled my lungs and my hearing returned in kind. My body was getting stronger. My senses reappeared before my heart took off beating rapidly. I could hear the sound drumming in my ears like helicopter blades._

_Then the warmth returned again, though this time it was different. Rather than igniting my chest, the liquid heat pulsed through my veins. It was strange, yet weirdly pleasant. I began to feel stronger the more it travelled across my body. It was like...energy...the feeling of it all building up inside me as my body grew hotter and hotter, begging to be released._

_The energy danced across my palm as I stood behind the task force, who remained completely oblivious to my presence. This energy I was emitting, it was power. The power was building inside me as tendrils of glowing red mist weaved through my fingers and around my wrists. It was strange. Ryuk never showed me this. But the urge to release it was becoming overwhelming._

_"It's time."_

_The rage that overcame me at hearing the monster who kept me imprisoned in my own body was what made me let go._

"Awake at last, Light?" 

"Yeah.... Now would you shut the hell up!"  
.......

The Shinigami reincarnation of the second soul that had once inhabited his body regarded Light with silence. It brought itself to it's feet, never once glancing away from the red eyed human who had taken his body and traded his soul, only to turn him into...this..

Kira's skull like head made it impossible to tell what the monster was thinking. But underneath the physical form of the newborn Shinigami, Light could imagine his own sickening smirk looking back at him. He was aware he was being stared at. He could feel the eyes of every man in the room on him. But he couldn't look away from the creature before him. The sight of what Kira had become was disturbing and pitiful at best. 

A fitting form for a monster indeed. A seemly sight for a lost soul. 

The entire taskforce was left gaping in the wake of what had just happened. L winced as he pushed himself up onto his knees. He was given little to no time to move out of the way when the blast of red shot straight past them and he did the only thing he could think of in that moment by pushing Watari out of the way. 

The old man was sitting across from him, leaning back on his hands while looking at the cause of the tremendous attack in bewilderment. He readjusted his glasses but the shock evident on his caretaker's face never waned. What he was seeing was real. Though L himself had to look to Watari to confirm he wasn't hallucinating. 

Mere moments ago, Light was lying lifeless on the ground behind them while he was joining hands with his comrades in what he believed were his final moments. Maybe he was already dead, for never once in his life, even after seeing with his own eyes that God's of death who wielded notebooks with the ability to kill people, had he ever imagined this. He was standing by the men who had bravely sacrificed their lives to catch the greatest killer the world had ever seen, he was ready to die. He was waiting for the moment to come where he would see Light again on the other side.

This man who stood before L, dressed in black from head to toe with hair that reached his hips, glowing red eyes and a fierce glare aimed at the creature about to kill them, he was standing where Light's body was lying. Only Light wasn't there anymore. The redness of his eyes dimmed as pools of brown bled into his irises. His glare was hard but his eyes had the same warmth that they had in the entire time L had them both handcuffed together. Underneath the ferocity of it, L recognised the same look of determination and perseverance that was ever present on the younger's face. 

It was overwhelming to behold. He looked so much like himself, yet he looked so different. It was a breathtakingly beautiful sight. L could feel the power radiating from the man's body which only cemented that this was real. And nothing prepared him for the formidable strike punching into his chest leaving him breathless. He felt the twist once again, a familiar feeling that he never knew how to describe. He is alive.... It was really him..

_Light...._

"Are you afraid?" 

The hollowed echo of his own voice caught Light off guard. Underneath the eerieness of Kira's tone of voice, he could still hear himself. Light narrowed his eyes at the question but he didn't speak. 

"I may be damned to this hideous form for the remainder of my life," Kira continued, "But my body is still far more resilient in comparison to your weak human state." 

The black smoke that had been emitting from the creature dwindled away completely as his form spread his skeletal arms out wide. Chuckles erupted from the monster's mouth.

"A Shinigami cannot die in the ways in which a human can. No matter how much power you have, my body may tire and weaken, but it will never die. Therefore, your bargaining with the King was all for nothing." He sounded hysterical as he began to laugh uncontrollably.

"These people are of no use to me now." Kira gestured in the direction of the taskforce flippantly. "Throw whatever you've got at me, Light Yagami. Nothing will prevent me from sending them to their deaths, and you along with them. You think I'll let you live with what you've done to my body? You think I'll spare you after getting in the way of my goals!? I'll send your miserable soul all the way back to hell! I'll kill all of them and make you watch!" 

The tendrils of energy swirled and spiked around his hands with vigour at the killer's words. As if it were channelled by his anger, Light felt the power stirring up inside him once again. But it was at the mention of the taskforce that Light finally met their mystified stares. 

Soichiro ignored the words of the Shinigami in favour of gaping at what looked like his son. Yet somehow it didn't. He was staring at Light like they hadn't seen eachother in years and were meeting again for the first time. The flames of anger in his chest settled at the sight of his father completely paralyzed with shock. Though what his dad was feeling was nothing compared to how Light felt when the words appeared over his father's head followed by the digits floating below. 

_A name...and a lifespan. The eyes of a Shinigami._

The sudden reminder of the offer he had taken forced him to abandon his father's gaze as he looked around the rest of the room. From Mogi, to Aizawa, to Ide, their names and lifespans appeared above their heads making Light want to turn away in an instant. Misa looked as if she were about to faint but as Light looked above her, he saw no numbers appearing below her name. Then Light remembered, the eyes of a Shinigami can tell the name and lifespan of every human, apart from those who owned a Death Note.

_Humans who use a Death Note, can neither go to Heaven nor to Hell._

He had done this to her. Whether she chose to use the Death Note in order to serve Kira or for her own gain, if Kira never existed, there was always the chance that Misa would've rejected the notebook. Now because of him, she had no choice. Her life span was now only a quarter of what it had been. Yet still, the numbers showed she still had many years to live. Light remembered Rem telling him how the Shinigami Gelus sacrificed his life for Misa's and how his life had been added to hers before his death. If that were the case, Misa's life would've been greatly extended, perhaps far over a regular human lifespan. If that were true, it shouldn't be so surprising that a quarter of her remaining lifespan would probably still cause her to live long. At least there was that. Though he didn't feel any less guilty.

A hitching gasp of breath echoed throughout the room reaching his ears, realisation slamming into Light as his head turned towards it. L was on his knees, with what was without a doubt the greatest mixture of emotions dancing across the detective's face that Light had ever seen. It was a strange yet satisfying sight to behold to realise that the great L had been truly stunned speechless by his own doing. He could only imagine what he looked like in his eyes right now. 

The last memory Light had before his death was L looking down at him, holding him in his arms. Anger flared in the form of his power flooding through his veins at the thought of what he may have lost. His palms lit up with the swirls of red twirling at his fingertips. 

Light's life flashed before his eyes with the memory of everyone he had ever loved relaying over eachother: his family, his chosen family, his friends, the people he had trusted with his darkest secrets, the people who were his life. He could feel their hearts beating as one. He couldn't, no, he wouldn't allow Kira to change that. If he didn't stop him now, then who else could? The lives of the people before him were in his hands. While Kira was in possession of his body, he had been adamant on taking their lives away while he had been powerless to do anything other than watch. It was all down to L and the rest of the taskforce that his plan had been defeated. 

With this new power enveloping every fibre of his body, Light would risk everything within himself to make sure it stayed that way. If Kira was powerful, then Light would die trying to make sure the monster who stole his body went down with him. 

_I won't let myself be weakened by you any longer._

They had already lost the battle, but the war was still raging on. Light's eyes flashed with red.

_Whether I win or lose, one of us will die today. And I will die myself before I let it be one of them._

The taskforce were forced to cover their ears with some ducking to cover their heads as Kira unleashed a rage filled cry that shook the room around them. 

_I won't lose to you again!_

Light's fierce glower met the piercing scarlet eyes of the Shinigami. The energy pulsed in his veins with his rage fuelling the fire. All he could see was red. The power was overwhelming his body and Light knew he couldn't hold it back for much longer. 

"While I appreciate the dramatic entrance and the pitiful attempt at prolonging the inevitable, there's only so much power that your human body can handle. With or without the powers of a Shinigami, they're worthless unless you can actually use them to their own cold-blooded, lethal potential." Kira's couce taunted him further. 

Light spoke through gritted teeth, "I'd say the cold-blooded one here is you, murderer." 

A sound erupted from Kira's throat that sounded like a mixture of a scoff and a growl, "The kind of power that flows through those veins, what I wouldn't give to wield it. You don't know a single thing about how this power works. Such a God-like ability...it's wasted on a decrepit being like you, a human, only a God can hope to possess such a destructive power. Your body has limits. You'll give out long before I'm finished with you." 

Light grimaced. The power was only responding to his anger and was getting more and more relentless by the second. He clutched his wrist with his right hand, trying to hold back the lethal storm roiling under his skin. His eyes narrowed with suspicion as Kira began to cackle. The monster's bony shoulders shook and rattled at the harshness of the sound. 

"He has no control over it." 

The statement was like a crushing weight on Light's shoulders as he was struck with the brutal honesty of his words. But Kira wasn't looking at him. No, he was looking over each of the members of the taskforce with a pitiful stare before his head turned upwards. 

"He may have activated his power in time to save your lives, but he has no idea how to turn it off. Isn't that right? Do you still think you made the right decision in offering him this deal, Ryuk? Huh? Still think the Old Man gave this power to the right soul?" 

Light didn't need to look behind him to know Ryuk was lurking somewhere. Hell, by this point maybe Rem had finally appeared herself to watch the show. But since himself and Misa were the only ones to touch the other Death Note, no one else in the room would be able to see him to know who Kira was talking to. Much to his surprise, the Shinigami stayed completely silent. 

"I could've kept you entertained. I could've shown you a new world free from evil, where I could rule in a society of peace. I could've changed the world before your very eyes. Does that not sound entertaining to you anymore?" Anger traced the obvious condescending tone of Kira's voice.

Ryuk resounded with disinterest, "No, I think I've had enough fun, Kira. Haven't you?" 

Kira snarled.

L glanced from Kira to behind where Light was standing only to see nothing there. Ryuk. That was a name he hadn't heard before. Another Shinigami? Had he been Light's Shinigami perhaps? Hearing Kira mention giving power to the right soul....did this mean that Light's soul was now inhabiting Light's body while Kira's had manifested into something else entirely? Was it even possible to create two separate souls in one body?

L was never one to take the concept of humans possessing souls seriously. In fact his rational logicality had never given it much thought at all. But even he couldn't deny what he was seeing, while going way beyond science or any form of reality he had ever known. It wasn't possession that gave Kira control over Light, but a second soul entirely. Did this Shinigami Ryuk give Light this power? Was he responsible for what he was seeing? Questions flooded his senses making it difficult for him to think straight. With no logical explanation to make sense of what was happening, L was just as lost as the rest of them. 

Ryuk stretched his arms above his head, making a point of looking as fatigued as a God of Death was able to, "While it's fun to watch a delusional kid try to change the world singlehandedly, you may as well be dead, if you were planning to rely on me." The other Shinigami shrugged. 

The killer's skeletal body was positively shaking by this point at Ryuk's bluntness and lack of care at whatever insult he threw his way. A small part of him had once assumed that if he were ever in a situation where he was desperate, he could count on Ryuk for something, if anything just to keep his source of entertainment alive, or his source of apples at the very least. 

Then Ryuk began to laugh as if he had told the joke of the century. 

"And as for keeping me entertained, kid your plan was doomed to fail from the start and I didn't want to see such a human go to waste. But now here we are with both Light Yagami and Kira standing off against eachother in a final showdown and the one who loses will die. Doesn't that sound interesting to you?" The Shinigami's head tipped to the left with feigned curiosity.

The earpiercing screech that Kira released caused many members of the taskforce to cry out in pain as they covered their ears to the best of their ability to block out the deafening sound. Light grit his teeth as the sound rang in his ears but didn't recoil. He wouldn't show himself to be weak.

The monster growled and snarled heavily. Its breathing came in harsh, deep pants. It's stance changed, with it's legs spread further apart while it hunched over like it was about to bolt at them. Alarm spiked in Light's chest and the tendrils of red began to weave their way up his arms. 

What could he do? The power trying to break out from within was only getting stronger with every passing second. As much as he hated to admit it, Kira was right. He had no control over it. He had awakened it during that first attack and now he didn't know how to stop it. If he lost control now and attacked again, there was no telling what that would mean for everyone else. It didn't bare thinking about but if he was careless for even a second, lives were at risk. 

"Enough! It ends here!"

The decision was made for him before he could even think about it. 

Kira unleashed another deafening howl of rage. 

Then he charged. 

But his eyes weren't on Light.

No...

No, he wasn't looking a him.

His eyes...

His eyes were on L. 

_L..._

Then it happened in a flash of red.

L turned his head toward Kira in time to see the monster darting towards him. He gasped in fear as the killer lunged for him, intent on tearing the detective to pieces. He was frozen in fear at the sudden advance unable to move. All he could see, was Kira. His own heartbeat drummed loudly in his ears.

His heart beat once, twice. When...

Kira shrieked in surprise as he was forced away from his target. The force pushing against his chest giving him no time to resist as he was thrown against a wall. He was pinned in place. His feet inches off the ground below. The monster thrashed against the force only to find he couldn't move his limbs. It was as though his body was completely paralyzed. Able to crane his neck, Kira looked down to see what had hit him. 

Glowing red energy gathered at the Shinigami's chest, forcing him against the wall. The tendrils flowed from the energy bolt, travelling down his body, wrapping around his arms and legs keeping him in place. Unable to move. Unable to fight back. 

L gaped when he watched his would be killer suddenly thrown backwards as though he weighed no more than the air he breathed. The streams of scarlet power weaved around Kira's body like a spider's web. And he was trapped like a fly ready to be devoured. He watched as the creature struggled for several moments before slowly turning to look behind him. 

Light was standing, his hand outstretched before him with the same bright red energy radiating from his palm creating the psyonic blast that had forced Kira back so easily. 

_Is he doing that with his mind?_

He couldn't hide his amazement for it was to great to mask. That was when L also saw, from Light's back spreading out broadly, was a blackened feathered pair of wings. 

_The powers of a Shinigami...So it's true.._

The man's legs were trembling and his face was tightly pinched, showing L his pain. Whether was from the emergence of his wings or his power, L couldn't tell. However, he was able to see the thin line of blood that began to stream from Light's nose. His once brown eyes now once again flooded with pools of red. All L could see was red. 

Light didn't meet L's eyes, his gaze remaining firmly fixed ahead of him as he began to walk forwards towards the monster he had pinned against the wall. His body shook with every slow step he took. He was struggling. He was hurting himself. 

If he has no control over it...then..

"Light, stop!" 

L cried out the words without thinking about it. He stood shaking on his feet, the feeling in his legs returning in a rush after placing his weight on his knees for so long. He began to run after Light, only managing to make it two steps before an unusual feeling struck his body and before he knew it, his feet were dragged out from underneath him as he fell back down. 

Landing on his back, L yelped at the impact before rushing onto his knees to look at Light questionably. While his back was to the detective, L could see Light's right hand reaching behind him which had stopped him from reaching the younger. He acted on impulse, he admitted to himself. But there was no telling what possessing or using this amount of power would do to a human body. He'd already seen him die once. 

L reached out his hand in Light's direction while knowing the other wouldn't see it. He pleaded knowing the other wouldn't hear it.

_Come back..._

Light stood below the monster who stole his body, looking at him with scorn. Every nerve in his body lit up with satisfaction at the pitiful sight. A monster who believed he was a God, a killer who took thousands of lives, criminal or otherwise it didn't matter. Yet here he was, more vulnerable than any human he had deemed weaker than himself. He was unable to move or fight against him. 

More than anything, Kira was scared. 

The pain Light had felt as his wings emerged from his back had rivalled the agony he felt upon his transformation. The pressure on his spine made it feel like the bone was about to break. He wasn't entirely sure what had caused it, whether it was the reaction his body had to the power he released, or if it was just because of the sense of immediate danger and panic he had felt when he saw that monster lunge for L. 

But in that moment, that was how Light knew. It wasn't the power that confirmed it but the discovery of his Shinigami eyes and the breaking out of his wings told him what he had wanted to know since he found he had a working pulse. 

Whatever he was now, he wasn't human. Not entirely. But he wasn't a Shinigami either. He possessed their abilities but his body remained that of a human. 

And Kira... Kira was no more than the dead shell that the Shinigami king had turned him into. He was not a God. He was not a ruler. He wasn't even a person. He was nothing.

"Go ahead...." 

Light snapped out of his thoughts at the pained, weakened voice of the living embodiment of his second soul. Kira struggled in vain to break free of the scarlet tendrils trapping his body and forcing him against the wall. Light tipped his head to his left in a silent question. 

"Go ahead and kill me..." Kira gasped. "Show all of them what you really are.."

The creature's breathing was laboured under the weight of the power sitting on his chest, reminding him of his own struggles to breathe as he had bled out in his father's arms when Kira had left him alone to die. 

"If you kill me," Kira's voice strained, "You are no better than I am. They will never stop being afraid of you." 

The arm that was emitting the paralyzing energy began to tremble. Not with hesitancy, but with anger. The amount of power he was using was taking it's toll on his body and Light didn't know how much longer he could hold him. He ignored the blood coming from his nose as it trickled down his chin as a physical reminder of what this was doing to his body. 

Maybe he was no better than Kira if he killed him. But if it spared the lives of any other innocent people, Light could live with that and be grateful. If they were afraid of him because of his power then he had no control over their fear. As long as they were alive. 

_Whether they hate me or fear me, I can't lose them too._

Light recognised this as Kira's desperate attempt to save himself or get him to drop his guard. Kira wouldn't get the better of him again. The power under his skin began to build up once again, though this time it was at his will. If this worked, everyone else would be safe, regardless of what happened to him. 

_Well, Kira, it does seem our time together has come to an end after all. This is it. The end of the line._

Turning around for a final time, a small smile crept across Light's face as his eyes met with each of them individually. His eyes locked with L's as he saw the other man reaching out to him with a look of desperation. Light's eyes turned soft with sadness while his smile grew. What he wouldn't give to go back and reach for L's hand and take it. His expression begged with L to understand. The slight deflation of his posture told him he did.

_Stay back. Don't interfere._

Then his smile dropped completely, his glower came back with a vengeance as he looked at Kira for the last time. 

_It's over._

"Checkmate."

Then he let go.

Light screamed for his agony, his anger, his heartache, for every man and woman who Kira had killed, for his family who didn't realise they were living with a murderer, and for every person in that room with them.

The energy releasing from his hand began to intensify and the scarlet sphere of energy began to spread. When a sickening crunch was heard as the energy began to envelop him, Kira began to scream as well. The red light continued to travel across the monster's body before a substance began to crumble from the Shinigami's body. When Light felt it land on his face, he recognised the feeling like sand. 

As Light continued to scream he felt the flames licking at his nerves, whether it was a warning or encouragement he couldn't tell, but he didn't stop. More of the dust like substance began to flake and wither away from Kira's body as the pitiful creature screamed in agony. 

With no legs left to stand on, the remaining parts of the Shinigami collapsed to the ground. Not once did Kira stop his screams and wails and Light realised this was the first time he had seen a Shinigami showing they felt pain. 

The monster's body flickered away into nothing more than ash that breezed across the floor as the wind blew in through the entrance of the parking garage. 

The last thing Light saw was the fading red eyes of the creature before it's head erupted into nothing. 

_So long, Kira._

The screams stopped.

The power didn't. 

The building began to shake with the force of it.

The pleasant warmth of the energy surging through his veins as he released it through his palms was gone. Now it felt like the tendrils were wrapping around his bones, the pressure causing pain. The flood of power he was emitting from his body was too much. He could feel his bones begin to tighten with how tightly the energy was weaving around his limbs. It was like a snake when it caught its prey. It would only be a matter of time before they would snap under the pressure. 

Lighy screamed again. He couldn't stop it. The ache in his limbs was becoming unbearable. The building continued to shake violently with chunks beginning to chip and break from the walls. He could hear the voices of the people behind him, screaming his name but he couldn't see them. All he saw was red. He just prayed with everything he had that they wouldn't try and come closer to him. The building was rumbling like an earthquake had hit.

_Stop! Stop it! If the building collapses you'll kill them all!_

Then Light heard the sound he had been dreading combined with the intense fiery pain he knew was coming as the bone in his lower right arm finally snapped. It felt like his arm was consumed by fire.

_Stop! Please! They're all going to die!_

Ryuk watched the entire ordeal, from Light awakening, to destroying Kira, to this. He wasn't really sure what to expect when the kid awakened the powers the old man had given him but as always, Light never disappointed. He can't say he had expected the sudden explosion of power erupting from him after Kira turned to dust. 

_Man, I knew the kid would be strong, but this is on some other level entirely._

The fact that Light's power turned red was an interesting addition. No other Shinigami had that. Maybe the old man threw it in last minute. Or maybe this is just one of those random abilities some Shinigami were born with. He'd have to remind himself to tell Light about that when he woke up. But for now...

_Okay, Light, time to take a little nap._

Levitating across the room to stop in front of Light, Ryuk didn't hesitate before slamming his palm against Light's head. 

In an instant, the tremors stopped. The building stopped shaking as Light collapsed to his knees. He was aware that someone caught him before he could fall and he landed safely in their arms. When his eyes opened slightly, the last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the shocked, concerned, worried faces of the taskforce. 

_They're alive._

The red had finally cleared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you go!  
> Trust me I am trying to make it so I can update more frequently I've just got a shit ton of other crap to deal with on the side :) I am sorry for not updating earlier but hopefully you all liked it <3  
> Feel free to tell me what you think in the comments as always I love chatting to you on here :)  
> Hopefully I'll see you all very soon with the next chapter -  
> Until next time, see ya! :3


	8. Angelus Mortem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Kira defeated and the lives of the taskforce saved, all that's left is for Light to wake up. As well as the fact a certain Shinigami makes a reappearance to explain his actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello/hi everybody :)  
> Since I took an extra long break from writing after a particularly long shitfest over Christmas, I decided to make it up not only to myself but my faithful readers who enjoy this story so much. This is now my most popular story on my account and I couldn't be happier as I have loved writing this story so far and am looking forward to continuing this journey with you all. Thank you all so much for your words of support and motivation, I know this is only fanfiction but it is one of the only things I enjoy doing for myself. 
> 
> Due to alot of personal shit I have been pretty much throwing myself into editing new chapters and continuing this story while outlining plots for others from different fandoms. Right now I am particularly hardcore into My Hero Academia but I know that some fandoms can be pretty toxic when it comes to ships and treatment of characters. However if ya'll want to see some My Hero fics in honour of the new season soon to come out then please let me know :)
> 
> I still honestly can not believe that this story has had this positive of a reaction <3 you guys are amazing. I hope you enjoy this chapter as we finally witness the aftermath of the battle as well as the full return of a certain Shinigami.
> 
> Here's a quick disclaimer because I've only just noticed how many other writers do this, I do not own Death Note or any of the characters....but by God do I wish that I did!!!

Light was caught in his father's arms before his body could hit the ground. The memories of the last time this had happened only minutes ago still fresh in the chief's mind, his heart seized with panic in fear that the same was about to happen again. The worst possible outcomes flashed before him as his son remained lying still, sending his mind into a frenzy.

His son's face was so peaceful, like he was sleeping. This was his son. There was no doubt about it. There were several changes he could mark right off the bat upon looking down at him but a father never forgets the face of his child. The father's expression turned to one of curious admiration as he saw the remaining threads of the glowing red mist flowing from Light's palms faded completely, like the last flickers of the flame of a candle before the embers finally died out. 

This was his son. The wings that he had seen unfold from his back had disappeared like they had never been there. This was his child, whose reddened eyes had dimmed, bleeding into the brown eyes he had been born with before losing consciousness. 

It was alot to take in upon first glance. The aging man still couldn't comprehend what had just happened to be something of reality. That power, it was the sort of thing he would only expect to come across in a story, like one of the many stories he would read to his children before they would go to sleep. To see such a thing with his own eyes, to see that power coming from his son no less, it defied all logic. 

Though he could say the same about the Shinigami wavering on the other side of the room. Rem. She had made an appearance after all. He hadn't seen her in the time any of this had happened with the execution of L's plan feeling like it had happened hours ago. She wasn't making any moves towards him, his son, or the rest of the taskforce currently surrounding them both. Soichiro watched as her eyes shifted from where they were sitting, to Misa. The girl was crying once again as she kneeled down as close as she could get to them. 

He saw Rem's mouth move but was too far away to hear her words. But she wasn't speaking to them, and it didn't appear she was speaking to herself either. If she was talking to someone in the room that he himself could not see, then it appeared she wasn't the only Shinigami among them. 

Soichiro ignored her, turning his attention back down to his son. He brushed the hair barely covering his face out of his eyes. It was strange to see the boy who fought hard to keep his appearance in check with such long hair. But out of all of the changes that had been made to his body, this was one that the chief found he could live with a little easier. 

His eyes briefly scanned Light's body to try and see of there were any injuries visible. Where Light's right arm rested over his chest, his eyes stopped at a very noticable disfiguration outlining the broken bone. 

L unceremoniously moved his way to the chief's side with his hands reaching straight for Light's neck. Tension filled the air around them as L pressed two fingers to the side of the other's neck and then remained waiting perfectly still. Not once did the detective's eyes ever leave the face of the unconscious man lying before him. After several seconds of waiting to feel something, L's hand moved so that it was hovering over Light's mouth. His head came to rest against the man's chest with his ear pressed over his heart. 

He waited, counting the seconds that passed in time to the pulsing of his own heartbeat. 

_Breathe...._

The seconds that ticked by felt like minutes. With every one that passed, L began to feel a little more hopeless. The men around them shuffled with a worried impatience rendering them unable to keep still. When Matsuda kneeled by the chief's side with his hand on the other man's shoulder, L caught the look on his face that was shadowed by a silent pleading. Whether he was pleading with himself or Light, L found himself unable to meet it. 

_Come on...breathe damn you!_

He was ready to give himself over to the inevitable weight forming in his chest as it began crushing down on him. There was no way this could happen to them now! After all that he had just seen, there was no way he would let it all he for nothing!

_Fight damn it! Don't you dare die on me now!_

If the panic he was feeling on the inside was showing to those around him, he truly could not care less. The stoic resolve that shielded him had long since crumbled around him. Every person in this room had seen and felt everything that he had, he didn't need to hide anymore. Anger pulsed in his veins as his eyes squinted shut, almost tempted to punch the ground below. How could they have won only moments ago yet somehow they had lost again? 

The wind breezed through the parking garage sending several of the autumn leaves scattering in through the entrance. The storm raging outside continued to holler and cry. As the wind entered the building, the ashen remains that had once embodied Kira picked up with the breeze, pushing them across the floor in all directions. 

Then suddenly....

L gasped aloud as he heard it. The sound so unexpected the detective almost backed away from how powerful it was. The heartbeat drummed at a slow pace that increased the longer L's head remained pressed against Light's chest. His fingers twitched from where they hovered over Light's face as warmth breathed onto them. He felt his head rise slightly with the movement of the other's chest as it rose and deflated in time with the breaths he felt against his hand.

Slowly, L picked his head up to look at Light's sleeping face with pure astonishment and not to his own surprise, relief. 

_He's alive._

"He's alive."  
.........

What happened from there was all a blur to everyone as the ambulance finally arrived outside the building. L had made the decision not to let them down into the parking garage as they met the group in the ground floor of the building. 

Through some careful wording from Watari in an attempt to cover up what had just happened, the paramedics eventually left after being informed that they were no longer needed. The Male of the two voiced his displeasure multiple times, muttering under his breath about dumb kids making prank phone calls during a storm like this before his partner dragged him away while looking back at them apologetically. L had no doubt she was more than a little irked herself about the situation. But after what had just transpired, there was no way he was risking Light being taken away. If they began checking over his body, who knew what they would find? 

Once returning from the building entrance, Watari was speaking on his cell phone, hanging up after making his way back into the garage where L, Soichiro and Matsuda were waiting with Light. 

"That was a wise decision on your part, Ryuzaki. There is no telling what would have happened had they taken him." The old man said in his calm and relaxed manner of speaking. Though through the aging eyes, he was no less in shock than the rest of them. He was a man who thought he had seen everything, that nothing could surprise him anymore. What had just happened had proved him to be sorely mistaken. 

But while it was a difficult matter to simply accept, Watari knew one thing for sure. No one could know what had happened here. Whether it was liable to happen again, well they would cross that bridge when they came to it. As of right now, this secret would remain hidden. For the sake of not only L or the taskforce, but Light as well. 

"I will have a room prepared for use to treat his wounds immediately. Please bring him to the second floor below ground. Your ID's should let you in to the right room." 

As Watari walked towards the elevator he paused for a moment in his steps, "Ryuzaki, I have just spoke to Wedy and Aiber on the phone. Shall I tell them to stay in their rooms for the time being?" He asked.

L hummed, "I don't see why it should matter. Since they are technically a part of the taskforce, it should do no harm to inform them that the case is officially closed. We will settle the matter of what to do with them later, right now, they are unimportant." He spoke nonchalantly. Watari merely gave a nod before leaving. 

Then L turned back to the chief, "If you will let me, I will take Light now. If you wish to follow and I'm sure you do, then please come this way."

Without saying another word, L lifted Light's limp form in his arms and began to carry him away. Both Soichiro and Matsuda were quick to stand and follow. 

Light was now lying in something akin to a hospital bed while Watari checked his vitals. He had instructed at least one member of the taskforce to remain with Amane in her room, but due to her adamant refusal to leave Light, everyone else began pooling in after them, leaving a lot less space around them to move. He payed the other men no mind apart from when he had politely asked that one of them keep Misa away from Light as she tried numerous times to hold his hand. Once he was sure that the boy was in something of a stable condition, he set to work on looking for any signs of physical injury. 

"His right arm is broken. I noticed it before." Soichiro remarked catching Watari's attention. 

"I will prepare for him to have an X-ray to check the severity of the fracture. Was that the only damage you found, Mr Yagami?" He asked to which the chief nodded his head.

Matsuda stood beside L as Watari began preparing his equipment, looking at the old man in awe. He leaned in closer to the detective, speaking in a hushed tone of voice. "How is it that Watari has all of this stuff on hand? It's incredible that he has the ability to do something like this." 

L shoved his hands into his pockets before responding with his eyes still fixed on Light, "Watari is trained as a doctor. It was a long time ago but he is still certified to give this kind of care."

He remembered back to when he was a child. Watari had deemed hospitals too vulnerable of a place for himself and the children. If it was ever necessary, which it rarely ever was, he would be the one to care for the children rather than sending them to a hospital. The man had always remarked that showing his face to anyone was too high of a risk, even doctors and nurses. 

"That's amazing." Matsuda's words of foolish admiration brought the detective out of his reverie. He didn't feel the need to respond and absentmindedly began gnawing at his thumbnail. 

The events of before were like a broken record in his mind, stopping at the part where he failed to make sense of any of it. Light was alive. He was dead, L saw him die. But now he was alive. How? What had happened to Light in that short amount of time? And how was the Shinigami involved in this? Was Rem or perhaps Light's Shinigami responsible for what had happened? How was it that Kira and Light became two separate beings? What was this power that Light possessed? Now that it was gone, would it ever return? If Light awoke, would he even remember what he did? 

The numerous questions flooding L's brain were making his head hurt. He thought he had seen it all with the discovery of the existence of the God's of death and the power of the Death Notes they wielded. Whatever Light had become...wait...what was Light now? The memory of the wings and the flashing red eyes remained burned into the detective's mind. The brutal force of the power he had used against Kira still left him in a state of bewilderment and above all else, frustration as he tried in vain to understand the logicality of it to justify a rational explanation. 

There were none. 

What he had seen, was something way beyond his understanding and that exasperated him more than anything. For the umpteenth time during this case, L was completely lost and he hated it. 

It was one of the many reasons his head filled with silent prayers for Light to wake up. Maybe, if he even remembered, he could give him a full explanation. 

"I don't understand." 

The words came from Watari, voicing the statement L had been thinking this whole time. Only his words were of pure disbelief and L couldn't help but feel concerned when he saw the butler looking at the screen he was using to monitor the X-Ray. His brow was furrowed with his mouth etched into a deep frown mostly hidden by his moustache that was an unfamiliar expression from the old man in the eyes of the detective. 

Soichiro was on guard immediately, instant panic written all over his face, "What is it? What have you found?!" 

Watari didn't respond immediately, only making L's concern grow at the deepening look of confusion the man was displaying. 

"There...there's no fracture." 

Silence ensued once again as the hushed statement was processed in each of their minds. 

"What?" Soichiro's eyes widened. He had seen it with his own eyes, the clear disfigurement of the bone with the break showing very obviously under his son's skin. With damage like that, there was no way that his lower arm was not broken.

"See for yourself." Watari muttered as the rest of them were quick to gather around him, looking at the screen. 

"If you look at his arm, there is a very deep visible bruise, but when you look here, it looks as though the bone has already set." He explained while pointing at the X-Ray of Light's right arm. 

L followed where his finger was pointing with his own eyes steadily growing impossibly wide as he was able to confirm what Watari was saying to he true. He had seen the injury for himself before he carried Light here. On the screen, there was a line across the radius of his right arm marking the injury, but he was right. The bone had set itself back into the right place. 

_It's already healing...impossible.._

He picked up on the other task force members muttering the exact same thought.

Was this also somehow related to the power Light now possessed?

Unbeknownst to the four men surrounding Light, Ryuk remained floating in the corner of the room watching the young man as he slept. It shouldn't be long now before he woke up. He just inwardly hoped that Light wouldn't try to destroy the building again when he did. Though, the thought of it was rather entertaining. 

But for now, there was alot that the humans needed to understand about what was happening to Light since he took the deal. Since it was unlikely that the kid would know the answers himself, as smart as he may be, the Shinigami felt that since he was technically the reason the humans were in this mess, the least he could do was make his presence known. 

Revealing the notebook that he had taken from where it had been left lying on the ground upstairs, Ryuk levitated over to the humans by the monitor and pressed the cover into the chief's open palm. Sure enough, the feeling caught his attention for the next moment he turned around. Just like that, the man went still like his body had turned to lead. The initial look of fear and surprise on a human's face upon seeing a Shinigami for the first time would never get old. 

"Hey there. How's it goin?" 

Soichiro Yagami was left gaping at the tall demon towering over his head. Several sounds emitted from his mouth, none of them sounding like actual words, only making Ryuk's grin spread all the wider.

The Shinigami cackled, "No need to look surprised. I am the Shinigami, Ryuk." 

The fool standing next to the older Yagami then turned as more gibberish sounds flew out of the chief's mouth. "Uh, chief? What is it? Are you alright?" Matsuda asked kindly.

Ryuk sighed as Soichiro still failed to put a sentence together, "If you don't want him or the others to think you're crazy, then just pass my notebook around so they can see me too." 

Looking down at his hands, Soichiro's eyes widened even more as he only just noticed he was clutching a Death Note in his grasp. Turning his head towards the younger man, he held out the black notebook for the other to take without saying a word. Matsuda looked at the book suspiciously before reluctantly reaching to touch it. Following the chief's eye, the former police officer gasped at the sight of Ryuk as he suddenly appeared right in front of him. 

"What...wh-who are you?" The man he had labelled as the fool stuttered. He then hummed in confusion as the black notebook was all of a sudden plucked out of his hands. 

"Ryuzaki?" He balked at the detective who had just snatched the notebook from him. There was a strange gleam in L's eyes though they weren't meeting his own. He stared ahead straight at the monster that he could now see as well.

"You must be Ryuk." L stated drolly as if he had been waiting for him to show, "The Shinigami who was following Light, correct?" 

"Hyuk. Yeah, that's me. I was the one attached to Light when he picked up my Death Note anyways." He shrugged.

L's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "Meaning?" 

"It means that I was attached to Light while he had ownership of my Death Note, before he gave it up. It's part of the duty of the Shinigami to follow the human who picks up their notebook. Lighto here had them switched, you see. When he regained his memory, it was Rem's notebook he took ownership of, not mine." Ryuk explained. 

L then cast his gaze down to the floor as his mind began to flow, "Then that would mean that you are now attached to Misa." His eyes wandered to the girl in question, who had somehow broke free of Ide's hold and was now sitting stubbornly by Light's side once again. 

"I guess you could say that." The Shinigami replied. When another scrutinous glare was cast in his direction, he continued, "Though as of right now, I suppose you could say I'm attached to both of them. It's all a part of the deal." 

_A deal?_

L placed a finger on his chin, "And this deal pertains to what exactly? Does it have something to do with what is happening to Light?" He asked, while there was already an above ninety percent chance that it most certainly was.

The Shinigami chucked, "Only everything," came his short response. 

Getting the sense that this God of Death was about to offer an explanation, L passed the notebook along to Aizawa before dragging his chair over to the side of Light's bed. The detective sat down assuming his usual crouching position and waited patiently for their uninvited guest to continue. 

After seeing every pair of eyes in the room now looking at him, Ryuk began.  
"Listen up, humans, because I'm only gonna go over this once." He held one finger up to make his point clear.

"But before we begin, you wouldn't happen to have any apples lying around, would ya?" The Shinigami asked almost sheepishly while L gave him the most bemused look he had ever seen on a human, like he had just asked if the sky was blue.

_Why is he looking at me like that?_

L blinked before sighing with resignation, "Tell us everything you know and I'll get you as many as you want." He offered in the most neutral tone he could muster while resisting the urge to facepalm.

_Are you kidding me, Light?_

The Shinigami actually seemed to perk up considerably at that. Laughing jovially, he began his explanation. 

"A human who picks up a Death Note, once they begin to use it, are from that moment unable to go to Heaven or to Hell for eternity. What awaits them after death, is pure and simply nothing." 

Ryuk continued as he saw the ever analysing stare of the detective, who looked as though he were about to say something. He didn't want to stick around to answer more questions than he had to. The only reason he was explaining this much was as a courtesy to Light. 

"When the idiot over there decided to put a bullet in his chest," Ryuk pointed over to where Matsuda was standing now looking more guilt-ridden than ever, "Where Light ended up after his death was a place called Mu, otherwise known as the home of the Shinigami."

"And this deal?" L spoke up while Ryuk looked put out at being interrupted.

"I'm getting to that. I'll try and explain it in a way you humans will be able to understand but be warned, this may get complicated." 

When no one voiced any complaint or objection he thought it safe to continue. He went on to explain how Light's body had obtained a second soul in the form of Kira when Light regained his memories. He informed them of how the deal consisted of trading one soul in order to decide his own fate. He could trade his own soul and be reborn as a Shinigami, bound to the same rules he was with no memory of his past life as a human. Or he could trade Kira's soul and separate the two entities residing within him. He told them that the kid had traded Kira's soul to him and thus creating the two living forms of Light and Kira. The last thing he told them was of the Shinigami King's theory about what the soul trade would do to Light.

"You see, his body has been reborn, with the King's power altering his physical form into a body capable of wielding the powers he was given as a result of the deal. That's why this deal can only he offered to a human who is already dead. If I had offered it to him when he was still alive, the power would've been too much to handle for a human body." The Shinigami finally paused to take a breath. This was the most talking he had done in a long time and it was beginning to exhaust him. 

L bit his thumb hard as every word Ryuk said fit together one after another like a puzzle. Though it didn't stop the number of questions already embedded in his mind from growing. 

"So how come Light doesn't resemble the body of a Shinigami, yet he still possesses the eyes, wings and other abilities any other God of death would?" Matsuda asked, breaking L's train of thought. Though he could admit the question had merit. 

Ryuk scratched the side of his face while sneaking a glance back over to Light. He paused briefly when he saw the boy shift ever so slightly. He didn't open his eyes, but it was enough for Ryuk to know instantly that Light was certainly awake and listening without alerting the others.

"Because the deal created an even split between their souls. Light has the power while Kira has the body. Though his powers don't come without their limitations." 

"What kind of limitations?" The question came from Aizawa. 

Before Ryuk could even respond, he was abruptly cut off as Rem walked through the wall into the room.

"He means that Light's body, while evolved, is still that of a human. His heartbeat and the air he breathes is what keeps him alive. Shinigami don't need air to breathe and our internal organs have long since rotted away so we don't require food or water either. His powers are a physical ability, meaning that if he pushes past his limit, his body will suffer far more than just a broken arm. He is far more resilient than what he used to be, but that doesn't mean he can't die." She answered as of she had been listening in the whole time. 

"Hey, Rem. Long time no see." Ryuk greeted irritably. 

The expression on the female Shinigami's face was thunderous enough to match the storm outside. 

"Never mind that. How could you, Ryuk? What have you done? Why would you bring something like this upon the world? Haven't you already caused enough trouble for these humans that you have to meddle even further in this child's life?!" 

Everyone in the room was stunned speechless to see a Shinigami speaking with such emotion in her voice. 

Ryuk merely shrugged, though L noticed that he refused to look at her. Was that his own way of showing guilt? Possibly. 

"What can I say? What are the chances that I'm ever gonna come across a human as interesting as that one right there again, huh? It would've been a waste to let him die." 

"Regardless, Ryuk! The human world isn't ready for something like this! What if another human was to discover his powers?" Rem's voice was almost pleading and a few people in the room seemed to wince with sympathy. 

"That shouldn't be a problem." L entered in the middle of their spat. Rem looked at him curiously awaiting what he had to say.

"You are right, Rem. Humanity is a species that is afraid of what they're unable to understand. It is only because we each witnessed what happened with our own eyes that we are able to comprehend it. It is ultimately Light's decision, but I'm sure he would agree that his powers are best kept a secret. The same goes for the Death Note. The more people know about Light or the notebook, the more danger we could put ourselves in. You have my word that no one outside of this room will know what happened here." 

The taskforce listened to L's vow before casting glances at eachother, each nodding their heads in a silent agreement. 

"I agree with Ryuzaki. While I don't like the idea of keeping such a secret from my wife and daughter, the last thing I want to do is put my son or anyone else in any danger by involving them." Soichiro spoke up. 

Matsuda stepped forward beside his mentor, "Yeah, the same goes for me. You can count on that, I won't say a word." After all, it was far from the first time he'd kept a secret.

Several of the other men agreed and it seemed to put the Shinigami a little more at ease as her glare softened. 

"That's fine. As long as we are all in agreement. Right now, I am just glad more than anything that Misa is safe. You kept your word, L." She remarked sending several looks of confusion from the taskforce in the detective's direction as it appeared he had failed to tell them yet another part of his plan beforehand. 

L decided not to pay them any mind, "Ah yes, that reminds me. By all means take as long as you need." He waved her off dismissively. 

Rem made a gesture that somewhat resembled a bow of her head before her attention wandered over to the girl sitting by Light's side holding his hand. "Misa, if I may, I would like to speak with you." The Shinigami's voice was remarkably gentle towards the former second Kira. 

Misa turned to look at the female Shinigami, a small smile filled with warmth blossomed on her beautiful face that was still streaked with tears. She briefly looked over to L as if asking permission which L granted with a nod.

"If Light wakes up while you are gone, I will let you know," came his empty promise which she seemed to accept as she left the room with Rem in tow. 

Once the door shut, Matsuda was the first to speak, "What was that about?" 

The young former police officer was caught off guard as L's expression suddenly turned solemn. 

"I promised Rem that I would grant Misa her freedom in exchange for our lives when we found the proof she was the second Kira. Though I had a condition of my own that was able to persuade Rem to agree to." L explained somewhat wistfully before looking over to Watari, who quickly began typing into his computer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the surveillance cameras appearing on the computer screen revealing the room outside where Misa was speaking with Rem. 

"I agreed that Misa would be freed and all surveillance would be stopped, as long as she gave up the Death Note in her possession, as well as all her memories that came with it." He finished. 

Several sighs filled the room. 

"Well it can't be helped. In a situation like this with Amane being as famous as she is, we can't just simply take her word for it that she'll keep quiet about the notebook or Kira. Now with Light added to the mix, it's just too risky to leave her on her own." Aizawa commented and Mogi and Ide hummed in agreement. 

L jumped from his chair, shoving his hands into his pockets. "My thoughts exactly. The stakes are simply too high to make any mistakes. That's why I have asked Watari to burn the Death Note as soon as possible. Since Ryuk has retrieved it for us, it has made our job much easier." 

Walking across the room, the detective planted himself in the seat Misa had just been sitting in beside Light's head. 

"Rem agreed as long as she got the chance to say goodbye to her after convincing her to give up ownership of the notebook. From the way things are looking, it seems as though it's working. Once this is done, Misa will have no memories of Shinigami or the Death Note. This is for the best." 

If anyone were about to say anything else, their words were soon cut off as Light shifted again. Only this time, L saw and from the looks of it so did the rest of the taskforce. 

Their attention briefly shifted as Ryuk began cackling.

"About time you woke up, Lighto. I was getting bored." He spoke with laughter in his voice. 

Light opened his eyes. 

The movement was so sudden that L's first thought was wondering if Light had actually been awake for long and if so, how much had he heard? 

Everyone watched frozen in place as they watched Light begin to take in his surroundings. 

L's eyes widened a fraction as he studied Light curiously while resisting the dreadful urge to reach out and touch him. If anything just to prove he was real. He remembered the solid weight of him in his arms as he had carried him here but somehow this felt different. He was awake. He was alive!

"Son?" Soichiro's mystified expression was soon caught by the boy in question as his eyes landed on his father. 

The pools of red that had been lighting up his eyes was gone. The eyes looking at him now were the ones he had known all of his son's life. The warm brown of his irises seemed to shine even brighter from the reflection of the lights on the ceiling. Light blinked once, then twice like he was waiting for his vision to clear.

"...Dad?" 

The tears that had been building up in the chief's eyes spilled over, streaking down his face as he reached for his son's hand and clutched like he was afraid to let go.

Mogi and Aizawa fell into peels of relieved laughter in an attempt to hide their own emotion with Ide simply smiling in the corner of the room. Matsuda however, was not as successful as he stood at the end of the bed with his hand covering half of his face. 

Light's eyes continued to roam in response to the noise happening around him as he took in all of their faces. Until his gaze met the one sitting beside where his head was resting, large dark eyes widened considerably with something akin to disbelief. He could feel the weight of the other man's hand fitted into his own. He squinted slightly as his vision came into focus before a smile began to grace his beautiful face.

"...L."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned ;) plenty more to come soon!!  
> Thank you so much for reading, always feel free to leave a comment because I love chatting to you all on here, Kudos are also much appreciated <3 The next chapter will be up soon as I finally caught a break to get more work and other stuff done.  
> See you soon!!


	9. Harikēn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's as Ryuk continues to explain the details of the deal he made with Light that the boy continues to realise the strength behind his new power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello/hi! I'm back again!  
> Here's a new chapter for ya'll! I was so excited to post this for so many reasons, mainly because I think this is the fastest update streak I've ever had, but ive finally been taking some time for myself to do the things that make me happy and boi do I love writing this thing! 
> 
> In this chapter there will be more insight into the after effects of the deal between Light and Ryuk and what rules are now in place for Light regarding his powers. I'm sorry if I dont explain very clearly in the story but feel free to yell at me about it! 
> 
> Also side note, I never realised until I reread this just how much of a slow burn this story has been XD believe me, the ship tag will come into play soon! I promise! I honestly didn't notice until I went over the whole story again when I was editing how many chapters have passed! Thank you all again so much for your continued support for this story! It really motivates me to get posts out faster :) anyway I'm done rambling enjoy the chapter!!

The sounds of the relieved laughter continued to light up the room as Soichiro embraced his son fiercely while remaining mindful of his broken arm, despite the fact it was already healing. Light returned the embrace to the best of his ability, pushing himself up with his good arm into a sitting position so he could take in his surroundings to their full capacity. 

"I'm okay, Dad." He tried to reassure him with his hoarse voice as he felt his father's shoulders shaking. The chief pulled back, furiously wiping his eyes. All it took was one look and Light saw the number of emotions stirring in his father's eyes. He knew he wanted to say something, but his thoughts were overlapping eachother rapidly, making the words leave as quickly as they came. He had no idea what to say. 

"How do you feel?" L asked bringing Light's attention back to him.

Light's returning smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm not sure. Tired, I guess. My arm hurts pretty bad." He responded slowly as the pain finally began to register. 

A feeling of alarm struck L at the look of confusion on Light's face and asked aloud before thinking to process the idea that Light may not remember, "Light, do you remember everything that happened before you fell unconscious?" 

He was struck once again at the sudden look of sadness that flashed in Light's eyes before he nodded his head. L would've felt relieved had it not been from the fact the feeling was clearly not reciprocated by the younger. 

"I should hope so. You really outdid yourself back there, kid." 

The high pitched eerie voice of the Shinigami caught Light's attention from the other side of the room as he waved at the boy. Much to the surprise of anyone who saw, Light smiled at the demon. 

"Hello, Ryuk." He replied like he wasn't looking at a God of death but an old friend. 

Ryuk cackled,"Well you've seen better days, I'll say that. How our deal treating ya so far?" He decided wisely to halt his laughter at the unimpressed glares he was receiving in response. Instead he said, "Now, Light, I'm not sure exactly how much of all that you heard..." Ryuk trailed off.

Light took a slow breath, "I heard enough." 

L quirked his brow but wasn't really surprised. He placed his hands on his knees. "Then to reiterate, it is ultimately your decision what you do regarding your powers. Though I do believe it would be for the best that we keep everything between us, I am hardly in a position to make those choices for you." He spoke with a gentleness in his voice. 

Light dipped his head, "No, I agree. Only bad things can happen from revealing something like this to the rest of the world. No one can know what happened here." He said before reaching up to rub at his temple. "As for where Misa is concerned, I agree on that as well. The kind of supernatural power that comes with the Death Note...it doesn't belong in the human world. And no one should have to suffer the consequences of it like she has We need to set her free. Properly."

Light was aware that his words made him sound like a hypocrite, but what could he say? He'd committed far worse crimes than lying and hypocrisy. Those were the least of his worries. 

"Well not to disagree with what you're saying, Light, but it's not like anyone forced her to use the notebook. She killed all those people out of her own free will." Aizawa tried to reason. 

"So did I." 

Light's immediate response prevented the man from speaking any further as he abruptly shut his mouth and avoided his darkened gaze. 

"Anyway, that's not just it. I speak from personal experience when I say I have no doubt that Rem will kill anyone who tries to hurt Misa. She loves her enough that her own life is a price she will gladly pay in order to keep her safe. By simply keeping her imprisoned here, you are all putting your lives at risk." Light returned to the subject at hand in order to avoid the scattered looks of sympathy he was receiving from his previous comment. 

The detective hummed in agreement and nodded to Watari. With the notebook still in his hands, the old man stood and left the room. 

L pondered over Light's words in his head. Yes, the female Shinigami had made him painfully aware as a part of their agreement of what would happen if he went back on his word. Whether she revealed it by accident or not, he now knew the way in which a human could kill a God of death. Despite the circumstances, to know that a Shinigami was capable of feeling such a sentiment for a human, to the point they would give their life for them, was strangely touching. 

But that didn't matter now. L wouldn't go back on his word. In exchange for the elimination of the notebooks, he had kept the promise he had made on the roof to the same man who was lying on the bed in front of him. He found himself surprised that such a thing had only taken place mere hours ago. Everything that had transpired up to now made him feel like it was days ago that he stood on the roof of the building, listening to the sounds of the bells chiming in his ears. 

His plan may not have played out the way he had intended. No, it had been the most unimaginable outcome that he could have ever thought to consider. It was funny, his entire purpose as a detective was built up on logic alone, without hindrances such as emotions involved. But now, this man, whatever he was now, had shattered his logical outlook on the world entirely. First with the notebook, then with the God of death, to deals involving trading one soul for the other, rationally there was no explanation for how or why any of this was happening. 

Yet, Light was the living embodiment of all that. 

The only thing L could say that still held some familiarity to the blissful ignorance he had spent his entire life believing in, was that he had won. Kira was defeated. The war between them that had taken the whole world by force was finally over and they had emerged victorious. No one would ever know Kira's true fate. For the sake of humanity, he would see to that. 

_Though, it's not as if my reasoning behind this decision is entirely selfless..._

L fought the urge to clutch at his chest as the annoying twisting feeling returned. The fact that he could be so familiar with the sensation yet so unfamiliar with it's meaning grated on his nerves. 

"Someone should stay out there with her. If Watari has burned the notebook and Misa loses her memories, then it's best she stays away for the time being. I shouldn't need to tell you all the trouble we could cause for ourselves if she sees Light like this without any memory as to why." He spoke ahead to push the previous thought to the back of his mind. 

Aizawa and Ide shared a look, "Good thinking. We'll stand guard until Watari comes back or Rem leaves. We can just tell her Light hurt himself and needs to rest." The former said already making his way put of the room with Ide in tow.

"That's good, please do." 

_If Rem was attached to Light rather than Misa, then we shouldn't lose sight of her. Ryuk on the other hand..._

"Ryuk." L called the Shinigami's name without looking at him.

"Huh? What is it?" 

"You're under no obligation to do this, but would you consider handing over your other notebook to us?" The detective asked.

"Why should I do that?" Ryuk asked. 

L rolled his eyes, "If I have been following the rules of the Death Note in the way you explained them to us, then once Watari burns the notebook, Misa will forget everything relating to Shinigami and the notebook. However, since you are the one attached to the Death Note then you would disappear from all of us, not just Misa. The fact is, I still have a number of questions I would like you to answer and I think it would be easier for both of us if I could actually see you." 

The Shinigami visibly deflated, "More questions?" He groaned, "I've already told you way more than I should have to. Can't you get Rem to do it? You'd still be able to see her even without my notebook. The truth is I only revealed myself you humans as a courtesy to Light in case he didn't remember anything." 

L rubbed his temples in frustration, he should've known the Shinigami would try to be difficult.

Then an idea came to him. "How's this, you stick around to answer a few more of my questions and I'll have Watari send a crate of apples to the room on his way back." 

The corner of L's lips turned with amusement as he saw Light's perplexed expression practically begging the question: What did I miss? The silent question being ignored as the Shinigami exclaimed with elation. 

"Well, why didn't ya say so? I wouldn't say no to that! Though it doesn't change the fact I can't just simply hand over my Death Note to you." Ryuk shrugged.

L's eyes narrowed, "Why not?" 

"Its not that simple. You see, the Death Notes Rem and I dropped into the human world were owned previously by other Shinigami. When a human picks up the notebook, it immediately becomes their property and not the Shinigami who dropped it. If I gave you my notebook, it wouldn't be mine anymore, it would be yours, or rather whomever touches it first." 

Light did remember. He tried to think back to the start, relaying every rule, flaw and loophole he had learned upon first receiving the Death Note. 

"That's also why the notebook you already have hidden in the building no longer belongs to Rem. Though this is also partly due to the deal made between Light the human and the Shinigami Ryuk."

"So you're saying..." Soichiro trailed off in disbelief.

"Yep. As of now until the moment he dies, the Death Note previously owned by Rem, now belongs to Light. Every Shinigami must possess a Death Note, it's law in our world. And I know that the kid ain't fully Shinigami, but he ain't fully human either. You see where I'm going with this?" 

L looked from the Shinigami over to Light upon hearing this newfound information. A part of him was wondering about what Light's reaction would be. He didn't appear to be listening, though L knew from personal experience that didn't mean he wasn't. He seemed to be deeply lost in thought. He had been about to say something else until Light suddenly intervened. 

"Hold on a sec, I think I have an idea." 

Before anyone could inquire as to what he was thinking, L watched with slowly widening eyes as Light reached for his watch. As Light opened the small compartment within it, realisation slammed into the detective at what Light intended to do. There was no damage to the watch secured around his wrist, but as the piece of paper hidden inside was retrieved, L failed to suppress a shudder at the drops of blood that had dried out across it. Light's blood. The gunshot wounds dealt to his hand and chest had vanished like waking up from a nightmare, with only the memory remaining. 

Light held up the bloodstained clipping of the Death Note, showing it to the men in the room. 

"With Rem's notebook still in the building, our memories should remain. By touching just a piece of the other notebook, the taskforce should still be able to see you, right Ryuk?" Light asked drawing several gasps of surprise from the few men still in the room. 

Ryuk cackled, "You really do think of everything, Kid. Yeah, if one notebook remains then you humans shouldn't lose your memory of the Death Note. If all you need from me is to see me, then it can be achieved with only a piece." 

"Therefore, we won't need Ryuk's notebook to see him. As long as we all touch the piece of the notebook, even if we burn the other one, he shouldn't disappear." Light concluded. 

Soichiro was smiling with pride at his son. Reaching forward with eyes silently asking permission from Light, L took the scrap of paper from the other's hand. He pinched it carefully between his thumb and index finger to avoid touching any part of the paper that wasn't white. He inspected it closely, able to make out dried out characters spelling Higuchi's name. The memories of that night came rushing back making L almost pass it back from how much they overwhelmed him. 

Before he could become lost in his own thoughts as the memories threatened to drown him, he was suddenly snapped out of it when his phone rang almost making him fall out of his chair.

"Are you alright, Ryuzaki?" 

The question came from Light, however L chose to answer the phone rather than respond. 

"Hello, Watari?" 

While Light never enjoyed being ignored, he noticed how distant L's voice sounded as he answered the call. There was a voice on the other end, but he was unable to make out the words. 

"I see. Thank you very much." L said before hanging up the phone and turning back to the rest of the group. 

"It's done. Watari has orders to dispose of the ashes immediately. He is on his way back now."

"It's true. I can't see the Shinigami anymore." Matsuda muttered, confirming to L and Light that Watari had indeed burned the other Death Note. Without saying another word, L jumped from his chair and offered the scrap of paper to the younger man, who took it hesitantly. His reaction a split second later confirmed to the chief and Mogi too that the plan had worked. They were able to see the proof with their own eyes when Matsuda passed the paper onto them. 

With his red eyes wandering over to Light, Ryuk's head tilted and his grin grew so wide it was practically reaching his ears. 

"You humans are still...so interesting."

Light didn't return the grin. In fact his own eyes remained downcast away from the Shinigami. Those words, with both his and Kira's memories returned in full, he was able to recall Ryuk saying those exact words many times during his-Kira's numerous killings. 

_Even now you are no longer a part of me, how much of this can I blame on you? I feel like the person I was without my memories, but I know it was by my hand that everything happened the way it did. You were no more than the monster I created._

"Light?" 

_Am I really so naive that I would believe even for a second that none of this was my fault? Kira may have been a monster, but the power of the Death Note wasn't only what drew me to it._

"Light? Are you okay?" 

_No. It was boredom. Curiosity. No one forced me to write that first man's name down. No one forced me to kill him. No one forced me to carry on taking lives, criminal or innocent it doesn't matter._

The several voices in the room calling out his name flew straight over his head as he sunk deeper into his own head.

_Kira didn't force me to become a murderer. I just gave him the strength to take over. So many people, they all died. All because of me._

He looked down at his hands.

_They're...red..._

There was no way he was hallucinating. There was red pooling from his hands, flowing down his arms, streaming across the sheets. 

_Blood...there's so much blood....all those people I killed....blood on my hands...it's not stopping..._

It was at that moment that Light realised how erratic his breathing had become. Was that what was making the bed shake? Why were so many people standing around him?

_..It...it's not stopping! It's neverending! I can't see anything!_

His limbs began to feel tight like a weight was pressed down against his entire body, slowly crushing him. His eyes shut, trying to block out the endless stream of red pooling from his hands as he buried them into his hair. 

"Light!" 

_It's my fault...It's my fault! It's my fault! It's my fault! It's my fault! It's my fault! Murderer! Coward! You're no better than he is!_

"Light! Stop!" 

His head whipped towards his father's as the sound of his name reached his ears, but he didn't open his eyes. 

"Make...make it stop!" The words he managed to say were hushed as he continued to gasp for breath.

"Make what stop? What's happening, Light?!" 

Was that Matsuda? The voice was gentle, it certainly sounded like him.

"The blood!" Light panted.

"Blood?" 

"It's everywhere! It won't stop! It's on my hands, it's all over me! Everyone I've killed! It's their blood! I can't stop it!" 

Upon first noticing that Light was in the first stages of an incoming panic attack, L had been by his side in an instant before he had seen the first tendrils of red emitting from his hands. The deeper and quicker his breathing became, the more intense the energy pouring from his hands turned. It was soon everywhere before he could even ask the younger what was wrong. Soon it wasn't only coming from his hands, but it weaved it's way up his arms, across his body, tendrils tangled around the bed frame causing it to shake and tremble violently as the lights in the room began to flicker. It was only instinctively that he stepped back. 

The sounds that Light was making couldn't have been from anything other than pain as he fisted his hands into his hair before L remembered what had happened to his arm when he was in a similar state after Kira's defeat. 

_He has no control over it....He may have activated his power in time...but he has no idea how to turn it off._

Before he even had the chance to call out to Light, his father had succeeded on beating him to it. Soichiro's voice seemed to have finally reached his son, but it was the words that Light said that struck something in the detective. 

_The blood! It's on my hands! It's everywhere! I cant stop it!_

Blood on his hands? Everyone he had killed? What he was seeing began to click into place with what Light was saying.

_Oh, Light..._

L had been about to try and reach out, until he was once again interrupted. This time by the Shinigami. 

"Don't worry, Lighto. It ain't blood you're seeing. That's just the power your body is releasing because you're getting all worked up again." Ryuk's voice sounded amused, but his words seemed to thankfully catch the young Yagami's attention. "Just listen to me here kid, okay? I don't wanna have to knock you out again. Just calm down and the red will disappear." 

The Shinigami's voice had a strangely caring undertone lying deep beneath it. Which just made the next words from his mouth all the more surprising. 

"I'm sorry, kid. I probably shoulda warned you about this kind of thing." Ryuk scratched his head. In all honesty, he had never known for sure what the outcome of this deal would mean for the human. Whether that was something he should be blamed for, he wasn't sure. Nevertheless, the kid would need to calm himself down unless he wanted a second attempt at tearing the building down. It was funny in a way, Ryuk didn't remember ever being this strong or powerful, nor did he remember anything like this from the other Shinigami, except perhaps the King. No, Light on his own was a force of nature.

_Maybe it's just the humanity in him._

"Ryuzaki! Ryuzaki!" 

The panicked cries from the outside of the room drawing closer brought L's wide eyes to the door. Before he knew what was going on, he froze up with shock and horror as Misa barged into the room. 

The moment she came running into the room, Aizawa and Ide were already hot on her tail hurriedly calling out his alias. 

"Light!" Misa cried running to his side. 

By the time the two men sprinted into the room, they were both doubled over gasping for breath. Aizawa glanced up and cringed at the icy glare he was receiving from the detective. 

"We're sorry, Ryuzaki. When we told her Light was hurt, it only made her that much more determined to see him. We tried explaining that he needed to rest but-Holy Shit!" The former police officer cut himself off as he caught sight of the red energy flooding the room. 

Every man standing in the room remained with their backs pressed up against the wall, a tense silence erupting over the group as they watched Misa approaching Light. The boy's hands still remained fisted in his hair with his knees curled up to his chest. His eyes remained squinted shut like he was trying to block out the whole world around him. It didn't appear that he had noticed Misa entering the room in the slightest. 

L was biting down hard on his thumb to the point he could taste blood on his tongue, his expression betraying any sort of calm facade he had hoped to portray. This couldn't be happening. This was the last thing he had wanted to happen. If she saw Light in this state then how in the world could they possibly hope to talk themselves out of this? 

The Shinigami was still here, maybe he could ask him to wipe her memory again? Would something like that even be possible? 

"What are you all doing?!" 

Misa's barking voice dragged L from his train of thought as he as well as the rest of them looked at her questionably. 

"He's having a panic attack! He can't breathe! Why are you all just standing there?! Do something! Help him!" She pleaded as she appeared to he fighting back tears. 

While several members of the taskforce began to surround Light, L remained standing against the wall with his searching gaze fixed on the girl. 

_What's going on here?_

The functioning cogs in the detective's brain began to turn. Did she not notice the glowing redness that was radiating off of Light's body? If she had noticed, she was doing a damn good job of hiding it, either that or she had bypassed it and deemed his current mental state a more important point of focus. 

_Show me. Give me some kind of sign that you are seeing the same things we are. Show me you can see him!_

During his father's desperate attempts to comfort his son, Light finally opened his eyes. They were drowning in pools of red. Soichiro flinched, taking a step back from the shock such a sight. But Misa was still holding his hand as if nothing was wrong. 

_I don't understand..._

L startled by the sudden laughter of the Shinigami standing to his left. Ryuk's red eyes bore into him. Was he laughing at him? Why would he be-

L gasped, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. 

_That's it. That's just it! Her memories, she lost everything relating to Shinigami and the notebook...does this mean-_

The red mist slowly began to evaporate. 

_She can't see him! Or rather, she can't see his power. Is that it? It must be. Misa has no idea what's going on. To her, this must look like nothing more than a normal panic attack._

The bed ceased to tremble as the energy began to unravel itself from where it had wrapped around the frame like vines. 

"Hey."

L looked up to where Ryuk was looking down at him.

"I'm no expert on this kind of thing, but if you want to stop him from hurting himself, you may want to get over there. Just because blondie can't see what's happening doesn't mean you can't. Hyuk." 

It was true that while the mist had began to fade around them and the lights had stopped flickering, Light was still tightly curled in on himself like he was too afraid to move. He was in pain. That much was true. L could only imagine how much. 

Before he knew it, he was by Light's side once again paying absolutely no mind to Misa. His hand was planted firmly on Light's shoulder as his mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. 

_How did Watari do this again? How did I do it before?_

Purposefully averting his eyes away from the rest of the taskforce, L reached forward placing a careful hand on Light's head. The boy flinched at the contact but didn't recoil. Once he went completely still, L began moving his fingers through his hair. He was finally able to take in how long it was now as he weaved his fingers through the strands, stopping at the back of his neck before repeating the motion over and over again. The act reminding him of when Light would suffer from one of his nightmares in the time they were handcuffed together. While circumstances back then may have been unconventional, they had nothing on this. But to be reminded of that time made L feel strangely relaxed, and from the way Light was leaning into the touch, something told him that he was thinking the same thing. 

Everyone around them ceased to exist as the energy finally faded completely. 

Several moments passed in silence before Light finally lifted his head. His neck ached with the movement making his head feel heavy on his shoulders. Light looked around at the several worried stares he was receiving but payed no attention to them. He blinked several times before the names and numbers floating above their heads vanished and his vision was once again clear. 

It was at that moment that Light felt a warm wetness trickling down his chin. His mouth felt dry. He licked his lips and was startled when he tasted blood before realising all too quickly that his nose was bleeding again. He tried to stop it with the black sleeve of his shirt until Misa stepped forward to offer him a tissue. He accepted it gratefully and pressed it under his nose, the white quickly turning to red. 

It wasn't until his breathing returned to normal that the exhaustion that had been building up for so long finally caught up with him. God, he was worn out. 

This power, whatever it was, would it always be that painful? How much had Ryuk failed to warn him about before he decided to accept his offer? He knew from the start that he would receive the powers of a Shinigami, but- no, what was he saying? He'd had no idea what to expect when he made a deal with a devil. Now he was reaping the consequences. This power he had been given, whether it had stopped Kira once and for all, it was simply too much. Especially for someone as messed up as he was. 

He hadn't been sure that it hadn't all been a dream when he had first awoken. But the sound of Ryuk's voice in the room explaining everything to every man in the room was enough to confirm it as the memories of before flashed before his eyes. The warmth of the energy still surging though his veins quickly making him fill with dread. 

The power he possessed, it could've brought down the building. He remembered the crushing feeling of it as his body reached his limit with the energy like twisting ropes around his bones, breaking his arm. He remembered using it on L. He hadn't been thinking, his body had reacted on it's own at the sight of L running after him trying to stop him. He could've hurt him!

_He has no control over it._

Kira's words echoed in his mind. Mocking they were, but Light knew them to he true. If it hadn't been for Ryuk, then...

_He has no control over it._

_I can't control it....just like I could never control you...it's like you're taking over me all over again..._

He wasn't strong because of this power. No, he was just as weak as he always had been. 

_If you kill me...you are no better than I am..._

"Light?"

_I'm still the monster._

He didn't stop to think about what he did next. He practically leapt from the bed, the sudden action causing everyone in his way to jump back as the moment he landed on his feet, he ran. 

The door was open. Light ran and he didn't look back. The numerous cries of his name fell on deaf ears as his body refused to slow down. 

Adrenaline laced into the fiery energy thundering in his veins. His exhausted body was kept alive with the roiling storm beneath his skin. His mind was a hurricane with all thought abandoned. He didn't know where he was going or if anyone was chasing him, nor did he care. He just needed to run. 

Only when the claps of thunder and flashes of lightning reached his ears did Light come to a stop. 

It was still raining. 

Light knew where he needed to go. 

He came across the first elevator upon reaching the ground floor of the building. Once inside Light slammed his fist against the first button on the panel. As the doors slid shut, he released a breath that he didn't even realise he had been holding and slumped down into a crouching position as the automatic voice came droning through the speaker.

_"Rooftop level. Doors closing."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun!!  
> What's gonna happen? Stay tuned for more :)
> 
> Here's a few notes that will hopefully better explain the thing about Lights powers because I should've explained it better in the story (bare in mind this is the rules I have made up mixed with the established rules from the anime): Rem's death note that light took ownership of after Higuchi died, that now officially is Light's Death Note as per the rules of the King that every Shinigami must possess a notebook. Rem still has hers, as the death note she dropped previously belonged to Gelus.  
> -Misa no longer has her memories of the death note and since she hasn't touched Rem's/now light's notebook, while she can still see Light, she can't see him using his powers. His body is still human. Anyway, just in case any of yall were confused hopefully that'll clear things up a bit? 
> 
> The next chapter that's coming is definitely my favourite so far and I'm hoping with everything that I am that you will hopefully all like it too <3 I'm not gonna give hints because I dont wanna spoil it but I'm really looking forward to posting it :) As always feel free to leave a comment coz I love chatting on here <3 for now, see you soon!!

**Author's Note:**

> And so it begins!  
> I will upload to this story whenever I am able to, as I dont want to lose any motivation I have to finish this story. I've been outlining it for so long before I started writing my marvel series and I cant believe it has actually taken me this long to start it XD also, people who follow my marvel series, I am taking a little break for now just until I get my drive back. I promise I wont abandon any ongoing stories I have, they will all be completed and continued if I come up with more ideas. I really hope you enjoyed the beginning of this story and feel free to let me know what you thought if you have any comments and Kudos are of course always appreciated. 
> 
> Also, I recommend you listen to the song that I have chosen kind of like as the theme song for this series, the song is called Roslyn by Bon Iver and st Vincent.  
> <3


End file.
